A California Rose
by Bohemian Anne
Summary: The story from Titanic, but set in present day California, with an earthquake instead of an iceberg.
1. Graduation Day

Chapter One

Windsor High School

Masline, California

June 18, 2002

            The hot Southern California sun beat down upon the group of high school graduates in their caps and gowns. Teachers rushed about, trying to organize the milling students. The excited students didn't listen, and only began to line up for the procession as the time for the graduation ceremony approached.

            Rose DeWitt-Bukater and her best friend, Trudy Bolt, fell into the center of the line. Rose's mother, Ruth, and her boyfriend, Caledon Hockley, had wanted her near the front of the line, but Rose was too hot and uncomfortable to fight for a place at the front.

            Trudy's excited voice cut into her thoughts. "We're almost done, Rose! Isn't this cool?"

            Rose shrugged. "I guess so." She wiped at her sweaty forehead, trying to glimpse her mother and Cal in the bleachers beside the football field where the ceremony would take place.

            "I don't understand you," Trudy grumbled as they filed onto the football field. "We're about to graduate from high school. We're gonna be free! No more school, no more teachers, no more homework, no more dress code...it's gonna be great!"

            "Until college," Rose reminded her.

            "You have more freedom there," Trudy reminded her. "You won't be living with your mom anymore, so you won't have to listen to her." She frowned as Rose fanned herself with the front of her black robe. The top of a formal dress was clearly visible.

            "Why are you wearing that? They have some dumb rules about dress code at Disneyland for grad night, but you don't have to wear something formal."

            "I'm not going to grad night. Mom and Cal are taking me to some fancy restaurant for dinner. Cal says he has something special planned."

            Trudy clapped her hands over her mouth and giggled. "I bet he's gonna ask you to marry him. He keeps hinting at that, you know."

            Rose shook her head. "Oh, no, I don't think so. We've only known each other a few months."

            Trudy just giggled some more. "I think he will! You're so lucky, Rose. You're gonna be the first one to get engaged...and to such a hunk!"

            "Trudy!" Rose opened her mouth to say more, but at that moment the principal called for silence, and the talking stopped.

            Rose sat quietly through the speeches, but inside she was worried. Trudy was right. Cal had been hinting about marriage, ever since Rose's eighteenth birthday in April. Rose was fond of Cal, but she wasn't sure that she was ready for marriage. It would be hard to turn him down, though, if he did want to marry her. Cal could be very persistent when he wanted something, as when they first began dating.

            Rose had met Cal while touring the campus of Elias University, which she would attend in the fall. Cal had been recruiting students for job interviews for the Titan Construction Corporation, where he held a high-ranking position.

            Rose, Trudy, and another friend, Sophie, had been sitting at a table in the eating area when he had approached them. He had talked about the benefits of working for Titan Construction, and coaxed the addresses and phone numbers out of Rose and Sophie. Cal had been intrigued by Rose, and was even more interested when he discovered that she lived only two miles from his apartment in Masline. That night, he had called her and asked her for a date.

            Rose had been shocked at first—wasn't this unprofessional behavior? He had assured her that it would only be unprofessional if she was working for him, and since she wasn't qualified for any positions in his department, she wouldn't be working for him.

            Rose still didn't want to go out with him. He was much older than her—nearly thirty—and she felt uncomfortable with him. Her mother, however, had thought it wonderful that Cal was interested in her, and had finally convinced Rose to go out with him.

            Cal had been a gentleman, for the most part, although he had occasionally tried to go farther than Rose was interested in going, and he had a disconcerting need to keep an eye on her. He was very charming, though, and Rose liked him—usually.

            She hadn't appreciated it when he tried to dictate to her where she would go after school, or where she would look for a summer job, or where they would go when they went out. Cal had insisted upon escorting her to the prom, even going so far as to pay for her dress. He had rented a limousine, and they had arrived at the prom—held in Oceanside—in style. Rose had been embarrassed. Cal was much older than any of the other girls' dates—none of those guys had been older than twenty. The prom had been held in a hotel, and Cal had been more than slightly disgruntled when Rose had refused to go upstairs with him.

            The other girls had been envious—none of them had boyfriends that old, or that rich—but Rose had wanted to sink through the floor with embarrassment. She had spent most of the evening walking along the beach with some other kids. Cal had been cold and angry the next day, but soon forgave her. Rose found out why a few days later—Cal had gone through her pile of acceptance letters from various colleges and had chosen one for her himself—Elias University, his alma mater.

            Rose had been furious. Elias University was one of the most expensive schools around, and even with financial aid, Rose would be hard-pressed to afford it. Her mother had worked hard to keep them living in middle class style, and had had little extra money since Rose's father had died two years earlier.

            Rose had been planning upon attending a community college first, then transferring to another school to finish her degree. She had said as much to Cal, but he had arrogantly informed her that Elias University was the best there was, and that a community college wasn't good enough for her. Her mother had agreed. Intelligent people didn't go to community colleges; those schools were reserved for those who couldn't make it elsewhere. Ruth had insisted that she would come up the money somehow, and Rose had reluctantly agreed.

            Rose was brought back to the present when Trudy yanked on her arm, pointing toward the makeshift stage at the front of the audience. Sophie, the valedictorian, was making her speech.

            Rose listened politely, but her mind was elsewhere. She had been second in line for salutatorian, but had been beaten out by Peter Thio, an Asian immigrant student. Rose's mother had been furious, and had demanded that those in charge reconsider their decision. Rose had gotten the impression that her mother was more upset by the fact that an immigrant had gotten salutatorian, than by the fact that Rose had not gotten the honor.

            Secretly, Rose felt that it was for the better. The last time she had made a speech, at a pep rally the previous January, she had had the students screaming in support of her idea—abolition of the dress code—but had also succeeded in infuriating the principal, the school board, half the teachers, and a number of parents. Ruth had been embarrassed and angry, and Rose was not called upon to make any more speeches that year. Possibly, she realized, it was why she had not been named salutatorian. She wasn't sorry, though. She had always been outspoken about what she thought was right, and no amount of anger on the part of her mother, the principal, or anyone else was going to change that.

            Sophie finished her speech—something about all the wonderful opportunities awaiting them—and stepped down. The students began to file up to the stage to receive the folders that would hold their diplomas—the actual diplomas would be mailed to them later. The rest of the ceremony passed in a blur for Rose, except for when her high-heeled shoe caught in the grassy turf and she nearly knocked over the student in front of her. The students laughed, and as Trudy helped her up, Rose caught sight of her mother ducking her head in embarrassment.

            All too soon, graduation was over, and the students rushed off the field to greet their cheering relatives and friends.


	2. After Graduation

Chapter Two

            Ruth and Cal were waiting near the gate to the parking lot. Rose approached them hesitantly, knowing that her mother would have some caustic remark.

            She was right. Before she could even say hello, Ruth scolded her, "I thought you knew how to walk in those shoes."

            Rose, tired, sweaty, and trying to struggle out of her cap and gown, snapped back, "I do know how to walk in them. They just weren't designed to deal with football fields."

            Cal interceded before the argument could escalate. "You looked beautiful out there, Rose."

            Rose looked at him, almost gratefully. "Thank you, Cal. I'm glad you could make it."

            Cal just shrugged. "How could I miss the graduation of my girlfriend?"

            Rose looked at him suspiciously. To anyone else, it would have been a perfectly innocuous statement, but Rose had known Cal long enough to realize that slight emphasis on "my" was not an accident. He was feeling possessive—more possessive than usual.

            "Why don't you go freshen up and get out of that cap and gown?" he asked her. Rose was still struggling with her graduation attire.

            She nodded, and started to walk away. "Don't take too long," he called. "Remember, we have reservations at Deveraux's at 9:30."

            Rose's shoulders slumped as walked into the crowd. She didn't want to go out to dinner. She had been looking forward to hanging out at Disneyland with Trudy and Sophie. She had purchased her ticket, planned an outfit, and had been looking forward to the occasion when her mother had informed her that she and Cal were taking her out to dinner on graduation night. Rose had pleaded and sulked, but they refused to change their plans.

            Trudy and Sophie were in the girls' bathroom when Rose walked in. Sophie was fixing her makeup and talking about a guy from another school who would also be at grad night, and Trudy was rearranging her hair. Rose envied them.

            They turned around when she walked in. "Rose! Over here!" Trudy called, waving. Rose slipped past another group of girls, and joined her friends.

            "I thought you weren't going to grad night," Trudy said, inserting a sparkly comb into her hair.

            "You're not going to grad night?" Sophie exclaimed, shocked. They had been talking about grad night for weeks.

            "Mother and Cal decided that we should go out to dinner tonight," Rose told her, scowling.

            "Cal's probably going to ask her to marry him," Trudy piped up, cheerfully.

            "No, he's not," Rose told them, stripping off her cap and gown and brushing out her hair. "We're just going to dinner."

            "Sure he will. Even if he doesn't ask tonight, he will soon."

            Rose didn't even want to think about it. She just looked at Trudy. "Hey, Trudy?"

            "Yeah?"

            "Shut up."

            "Well, excuse me for living." Trudy looked offended for a moment, then, with her usual cheery tone, started chattering away about Disneyland. Rose excused herself and left.

            She walked slowly back toward the parking lot. A few students gaped at her formal dress and shoes, but most were more concerned with grad night or other activities. A few were even in formal dress, like her.

            Cal was waiting for her at the gate. Taking her arm possessively, he led her toward his car, a black Saturn. Ruth was sitting in the back seat, waiting for them.

            Rose sighed inwardly. On the one hand, she didn't want her mother along on a date. On the other hand, Cal wouldn't make any unwanted advances with her mother along.

            Mostly, Rose just wished she was going to grad night.


	3. The Proposal

Chapter Three

Deveraux's

            They arrived at the restaurant just before 9:30. Once they were seated, and the waiter had taken their orders—Cal insisted that Rose try the lamb with mint sauce—Ruth excused herself to use the ladies' room.

            When Ruth had disappeared, Cal turned to Rose and pulled a small box from his pocket. Rose looked at the box, and felt her mouth go dry and her palms begin to sweat. She knew what was coming.

            "Rose, I've been waiting for the right moment to ask you this, and I thought, tonight." Cal opened the box, revealing a ring with an enormous diamond. "Rose, will you marry me?"

            Rose stared at the ring. The diamond sparkled in the light, reflecting off every facet. Cal took the ring from the box and reached for her hand. Rose drew back.

            "Cal, I...I don't know."

            Cal put the ring back in the box and set the box in front of Rose. "Rose, I love you, and I want you to be my wife."

            Rose stared at the ring, then looked up at Cal. "Cal, I just...I don't know. I only just graduated from high school. I don't think I'm ready to get married yet."

            "It wouldn't be right away—not for a year, at least. You need time to get settled into college and figure out what you're going to do with your life."

            Rose looked back at the ring. Cal seemed sincere. He did care about her; she knew that. His persistence and constant concern for where she was and what she was doing proved that. Still...

            "If you're worried about money, don't be," Cal told her. Rose looked back at him, confused.

            "There will be a prenuptial agreement, of course. Anything that I earn is mine, anything you earn is yours."

            "I wasn't—"

            Cal interrupted her. "Rose, if for some reason the marriage doesn't work out, we'll just go our separate ways, no legal hassles. But I don't think anything will go wrong. With the new marriage laws, it's harder to obtain a divorce, and I won't give you any reason to ask for one. I believe in the sanctity of marriage, so I won't ask for a divorce from you."

            Rose realized that she had been twisting her napkin into a wrinkled mess. Setting it down, she spoke. "Cal, I can't give you an answer yet. I need to think about it first." She got to her feet. "Will you excuse me a moment?"

            Cal nodded, slipping the box back into his pocket. He hoped that she would say yes, but if not, he had more to offer her to sweeten the bargain.

            Rose walked towards the ladies' room at the back of the restaurant. Her mother stepped out just as she reached it, and looked at her questioningly.

            Rose just nodded to her, and slipped inside. She stood in front of the mirror, trying to calm her pounding heart. Her hands were shaking. Why couldn't she just tell him no?

            Rose looked at herself in the mirror, thinking. She didn't really want to marry him, but men like him were few and far between. Cal was a decent sort, a gentleman. She would never have to worry about money, even if she had difficulty finding a job, and he wouldn't cheat on her with other women. She wouldn't wind up raising her children alone, struggling to make ends meet. Cal was a logical choice for a husband.

            But another part of her rebelled. She didn't love Cal. She liked him, but it wasn't the same thing. And yet, she realized, many marriages based on love had ended in divorce anyway. Life with Cal would be stable, calm. Even if he had a few annoying quirks, even if he was a little too controlling, he would be a good husband for her and a good father to their children.

            Rose shook her head. She didn't know what to decide.

            The door opened, and Ruth walked in. Rose turned to look at her, wondering what she was doing back in there.

            Ruth stood beside Rose, and began fussing with her hair. After a moment, she spoke.

            "Cal tells me he proposed to you."

            Rose was surprised that Cal had told her mother that, especially since Rose hadn't yet given him an answer, but she simply nodded. "Yes."

            "He said you needed to think about it first."

            "That's right."

            "Rose, Cal discussed this with me before he bought the ring. I felt that it would be a good match for you."

            Rose turned to her, shocked. "But you didn't discuss it with me first."

            "Cal is a good man. He will make sure you never want for anything, that your children are cared for."

            "I can take care of myself."

            "Of course you can. But, can you raise children alone?"

            "Many women do it."

            "But not so well as married women. If you accept Cal's proposal, you won't have to worry about not knowing where your children are, or what they're doing, while you're away working to support them. He will see to it that they're taken care of."

            "I didn't get into trouble when you were away working."

            Ruth just looked at her for a moment. "How do you explain that incident last fall, when you stood on that wall outside the supermarket with a joint, shouting about how people have a right to smoke marijuana if they choose?"

            "I was just expressing my opinion."

            "You almost got yourself arrested."

            Rose remembered the incident well. "I was right."

            "I disagree. And, right or wrong, you were still getting into trouble."

            "Mother—"

            Ruth interrupted her. "Cal has agreed to pay for your college education, up through your Master's degree, if you agree to become his wife."

            "I don't need his money."

            "Rose, you haven't yet succeeded in finding a summer job. I have no money to spare, but my income is too high for you to qualify for much financial aid."

            "I can go to another college, then. Community colleges don't cost much."

            "You could." Ruth brushed a lock of hair out of Rose's eyes. "But you'll need to find a place to live, too."

            "I could commute—"

            "If you go to the university, you can continue to live at home. Otherwise, you need to find a new place to live."

            "I'll have to find a job first."

            "Rose, I will not allow you to throw your life away. You need to make a choice—tonight."

            Rose stared at her mother as her meaning sunk in. If Rose didn't agree to marry Cal, she would be homeless. She had little money, and would be unable to afford a place to live with what she had. Her friends didn't have room for her to move in with them, even temporarily.

            "Why are you doing this to me?"

            Ruth gently gave Rose a kiss on the cheek. "Because, Rose, I want what is best for you. Cal is a good man. He will make sure that you never have to struggle, that your children are provided for. He is moving up in the world—and you can move up with him."

            Rose just shook her head. "But I don't love him."

            "You'll learn to love him. Romantic love isn't all its cracked up to be, Rose. You fall in love, you get married, and then the bloom wears off, and you realize that you have nothing. Believe me, Rose, I know."

            "It doesn't seem like I have much of a choice."

            "You have a choice, Rose—we always have choices. Some are harder to make than others."

            Homelessness, or marriage to Cal, Rose thought. It wasn't really much of a choice.

            Rose left the restroom, followed by Ruth. They walked in silence back to the table.

            The waiter was there, silently placing their plates on the table. He set a bottle of wine on the table and left.

            "Well, Rose, have you had a chance to think about it?" Cal asked her, as if nothing had happened.

            Rose swallowed hard. She realized that she didn't really want this marriage to Cal, but she didn't have much of a choice. It would be all right, she told herself. Cal was a good man, and eventually she would learn to love him.

            "Yes." Rose's voice came out in a squeak. She cleared her throat and tried again. "Yes, Cal, I'll marry you."

            With a smile that could only be described as triumphant, Cal took the box from his pocket and removed the ring. Taking Rose's left hand, he slipped the ring on her finger.

            Ruth reached for the bottle of wine, declaring that a toast was in order. Cal took the bottle from her, pouring wine into all their glasses—even Rose's, though she was underage.

            Rose's hand shook as she reached for her glass. It's going to be all right, she told herself, over and over. But as she looked at the enormous diamond sparkling on her finger, she knew that she had made a terrible mistake.


	4. I Don't See What All The Fuss Is About

Chapter Four

Elias University

Southland, California

September 15, 2002

            Rose's SUV bounced over a speed bump as she pulled into the parking lot of her dormitory, Cherbourg Hall. Circling the parking lot, she searched for a parking space. She saw several that would have worked if she had been driving a compact car, but her mother had insisted that she drive an SUV, saying that it was "safer".

            Rose finally found a parking space, at the farthest end of the second level of the parking lot. A moment later, Cal pulled up beside her, followed by her mother's car.

            Rose stepped out of the SUV and headed around to the back to start unloading her belongings. Cal followed her and began pulling boxes out of the vehicle.

            Hefting a box, Rose turned to look at the campus. "I don't see what all the fuss is about. It doesn't look any better than a community college."

            Cal's brow furrowed angrily for a moment. "You can be blasé about some things, Rose, but not about Elias University. It has a much higher standard than community colleges, and is far more difficult to get into." He turned to Ruth, who was also helping unload. "Your daughter is far to difficult to please, Ruth."

            Ruth laughed lightly, reminding herself to have a talk with Rose later. "It's lucky that you were allowed to move in on a Sunday, Rose. Otherwise we wouldn't have been able to help you."

            Rose didn't reply. She just walked faster, carrying her heavy box toward the dorm building. Ruth watched her in irritation. Ever since Rose had become engaged to Cal, she had been cranky, irritable, and hard to get along with. Ruth knew that Rose wasn't happy with her situation, but she would not allow her to make a mistake that might ruin her life.

            Rose started down the stairs toward the building, wishing that she was anywhere else. Cal had pulled several strings to get her into Cherbourg Hall, the only all-girls dorm on the campus. Most likely, Rose thought, he was just afraid that she would meet some other guy.

            Rose struggled up the stairs to the third floor—the elevators were out of order—and found her room at the end of the hall. Her two roommates were already there.

            Rose looked around the room in dismay. It was smaller than her tiny bedroom at home, and was being used to house three students, their desks, computers, wardrobes, books, CD players, and beds. Three twin beds were crammed into the room, so close together that if a person fell out of bed, they'd be trapped until their roommate decided to wake up.

            One of her roommates was fiddling with an already blasting radio. The other turned to stare at her and her boxes.

            "Oh, wonderful. They really are putting three people in here. Hey, Mari, you'd better get your stuff off that bed. Someone's gonna be using it."

            Mari didn't look up from her radio. The other girl walked over and shut it off. "Come on. Let's move our stuff. I can't believe they're really putting three people in here. With the amount we're paying, we could've rented an apartment with two bedrooms."

            It wasn't the warmest welcome Rose had ever received. Ruth and Cal had come in behind her, setting her boxes on the floor.

            "I'll get the rest of your boxes," Cal told Rose, holding his hand out for her keys. Rose gave them to him, glad to be rid of him for a moment.

            "You have more boxes?" Mari asked, staring at her in disbelief.

            "Only two," Rose replied, trying to reassure her.

            "Let me guess. They told you about spacious rooms," the other girl said.

            "Sort of," Rose admitted. "I knew they couldn't be that big, because my fiancé graduated from here and is familiar with the dorms. Nobody told me about three people to a room, though."

            "They never do. By the way, I'm Michelle Palmer. This is Mari Lopez. And you are?"

            "I'm Rose DeWitt-Bukater."

            "Is DeWitt your middle name or part of your last name?" Mari asked, looking over Rose's clothes.

            "Part of my last name. Why?"

            "There was a man in the town I went to high school in who's name was Dewitt Ruth," Mari explained. "He was on the school board for a while, until he got recalled back in 2000."

            Rose laughed. Ruth walked back in, looking at her questioningly. Rose explained. "There was a school board member in Mari's town who was named Dewitt Ruth. Like your name, just reversed."

            "Oh." Ruth didn't seem too interested. "Where are you from, Mari?"

            "A town about thirty miles north of here, Perris."

            Ruth nodded. "I've heard of it. A run-down, seedy place."

            Mari's eyes narrowed. "It's not that bad."

            Michelle spoke up before an argument could start. "Let's get Rose settled and check out this place, see who else is living here." Cal had brought up the last of Rose's boxes while they were talking, and looked eager to leave.

            He tossed Rose her keys. "Do you need any help settling in?" he asked her, watching her two roommates. They were helping Ruth unpack Rose's clothes, exclaiming over some of the outfits.

            "You might help me unpack my books."

            Cal sighed. "All right, where do they go?"

            Michelle pointed to an almost full bookcase. "Put them there. If you can't fit them all, you can stack some on the desk."

            Mari held up one of Rose's dresses. "Hey, Rose, can I borrow your clothes sometime? You can borrow some of mine if you like."

            Michelle hit Mari on the arm. "Your clothes are nasty! Nobody wants to borrow them!"

            "Sure. Go ahead," Rose told Mari. They looked to be about the same size. "Just ask me first."

            "No problem. You can still borrow my clothes. This'll make both our wardrobes bigger."

            Cal interrupted. "Rose, you knew space was going to be limited. Why did you bring these books on drama?"

            "Because I'm taking a drama class."

            "You're not taking a drama class."

            "Yes, I am."

            "Rose, drama isn't going to help you get a business degree. You need to take things that will help your education."

            "It's general education the first two years, remember, Cal?"

            "You still need to think about your future. Drama isn't going to help you get a position with a top company."

            "I'm not going to graduate for years yet. I hardly think it matters."

            "Rose..." Cal said warningly. He noticed that her roommates were listening with interest.

            He pulled her out into the hall. "Need I remind you who is paying for your education? You need to take classes that will help you get ahead. Drama won't look good on your resume."

            "It's part of being a well-rounded individual. Besides, I like drama. There's truth to the ideas expressed upon the stage, or the screen."

            "Those 'ideas' simply incite people to violence and promiscuity." Cal paused, thinking. "I think a good psychology class would be better. It would look good on a resume, especially if you're going for an internship."

            "I probably won't be thinking about an internship until I'm a junior."

            "Actually, I have been discussing the possibility of an internship for you this year with the company president. As CEO, I have the influence to get you a paid internship in your freshman year." He paused. "But only if you take the right classes."

            "You don't need to get me an internship yet."

            "Rose, you are not taking drama, and that's all there is to it."

            "I'm already signed up."

            "As soon as you're moved in, we'll go down and change your schedule."

            "No!"

            Cal sighed. "If you want to take drama, Rose, it's up to you. But I'm not paying for it."

            "I can't afford the tuition here! You knew that when you accepted for me!"

            "Then you'll change your schedule." He noticed Michelle watching them from the doorway.

            "Oh, don't mind me," she told them. "Go right ahead. This is fascinating."

            Cal glanced at her dismissively, then spoke to Rose in a very quiet, very controlled voice. "You are going to finish unpacking. Then we will get your schedule and your ID, and change that class. You can still return your books, and I'll pay for any new books not covered by the refund."

            Rose pulled her arm away and stalked back into the room, slamming the door in Cal's face. She heard him swear under his breath as he shoved the door back open. "I'll be waiting for you downstairs, Rose. Hurry up."

            Angrily, Rose rummaged through her purse for her schedule. Her mother and her roommates had finished unpacking for her. Ruth looked at Rose warningly.

            "I'm going home now, Rose. Behave yourself."

            Rose pulled her schedule from her purse, crumpling it angrily. Her roommates were watching her sympathetically.

            "Who's that guy?" Michelle wanted to know.

            "Caledon Hockley, my fiancé."

            "He's a jerk!" Mari exclaimed, handing Rose her drama books. "No offense."

            Rose couldn't help but agree.


	5. Freud

Chapter Five

Sunpeak Headquarters

Masline, California

November 15, 2002

                True to his word, Cal managed to arrange an internship for Rose. He called it a "business education opportunity", but Rose soon learned that she was acting as a glorified, and cheap, secretary for Cal. The "paid internship" cost the company approximately one-sixth what a real secretary would have cost, and didn't include benefits. Rose hated the internship. Cal insisted that it was a great opportunity, and would look wonderful on a resume, but Rose found it dull and stressful. She worked for Cal twenty hours a week, between classes, and found herself with little extra time to study. When she had complained to Cal, he had suggested that she curtail her social life in favor of her education.

                Rose had never had much in the way of a social life anyway—trying to take five classes in ten weeks didn't leave much time—but after she took on the internship she had little time for anything besides working and studying. Her roommates had time to go out and enjoy themselves, but Rose had no time to relax and enjoy the benefits of college life.

                She didn't particularly like Elias University, anyway. Her classes were difficult, with the difficulty compounded by the fact that she didn't like most of them. It was Cal's idea that she major in business, not hers. Given a chance, Rose would have tried all different sorts of subjects before deciding on a major. Cal, however, had insisted that Rose's future lay in business, and had pushed her into taking more classes than she could handle in subjects she found dull. The only class she did like was an American History class, where the professor spoke about the events of the past and compared them to present-day events. Rose studied this subject with interest, and a bit of trepidation. Her fascination with the rights of people hadn't changed, and history simply seemed to repeat itself.

                Cal didn't like this professor, but because he was the only one teaching the class, he allowed Rose to continue with the course.

                This afternoon had been particularly trying. After finishing her classes for the day, Rose drove over to the company headquarters. Cal had an important meeting and expected her to be there. Rose had arrived two minutes late, thanks to a parking shortage, and Cal was furious.

                After slamming her notebook down on the table in front of her, warning her quietly about being late, Cal had stalked to his seat and apologized for his secretary's tardiness. The others nodded knowingly—good secretaries were hard to find—and started their discussion.

                The business of the day was a merger. Titan Construction had come to the point where they held controlling interest in another company, Sunpeak Products of California. Sunpeak sold household goods, furniture, and building materials by mail.

                Rose was familiar with Sunpeak—it was the largest employer in Masline, best known locally for its substandard wages and slavish treatment of employees. When Rose had mentioned this to Cal, he had laughed and said that if people didn't like working for Sunpeak, they could always go elsewhere. But in a city with a high unemployment rate and large numbers of unskilled workers, Sunpeak was the best that many people could get.

                Rose listened in irritation as the president of Sunpeak, Tim Isley, discussed the terms of the merger. He was ready for retirement, so the loss of his company meant little to him. He would still be kept on as an unofficial business advisor, and would profit handsomely from the sale of the company.

                Rose wondered how many people would lose their jobs. The presidents, vice-presidents, and CEO's were discussing just how many positions they could eliminate without threatening business. The merger meant huge profits for them, but many people would be left unemployed.

                As the meeting drew to a close, and the merger agreement was signed, Isley began talking about the wonderful opportunities for the combined corporations, emphasizing how their size lent strength and an advantage over their competition.

                Rose was reminded of something she had read in psychology class. Unable to resist, she spoke up.

                "Are you familiar with the writings of Sigmund Freud, Mr. Isley? His ideas on the male preoccupation with size might be of particular interest to you."

                Everyone in the room turned to stare at her. The head architect of Titan Construction, Andrew Thomas, choked on a piece of celery, trying not to laugh. Isley looked confused. Cal was furious.

                "Excuse me a moment," he told the others. Rising from his chair, he gestured to Rose, telling her to follow him into the hall.

                "What's gotten into you?" he asked, with cold fury, as soon as the door had closed.

                "He made me mad," Rose snapped back. "He's a pompous piece of—"

                "Don't say it, Rose. Don't even say it. Tim Isley is the president of a company we are trying to obtain. If you upset him, he may change his mind. Those papers aren't completely signed yet."

                "Your merger is going to cost people their jobs."

                "Then they will get new ones. If they can't find new jobs, they probably weren't good enough for Sunpeak or Titan Construction in the first place."

                "Some people are struggling even with these jobs. What do you think will happen with even a few weeks of unemployment?"

                "That's their problem, not mine. If they'd gone to college, or refrained from having children, they wouldn't have a problem." He cut Rose off before she could argue with him again. "I'm going back in. You'd better behave appropriately from now on, or you'll find yourself without this internship." When Rose opened her mouth to tell him what she thought of his internship, he added, "You'll also be paying your own tuition this coming quarter."

                Rose slumped back against the wall. Cal had control of her, and he knew it. The previous summer, she had made the mistake of telling him about her mother's threat to throw her out on the streets if she didn't go to the university. Rather than being sympathetic, Cal had taken advantage of this knowledge, using it to control her.

                Rose sighed, and turned towards the conference room. She had saved a little money from this internship, but it wasn't enough to pay for a place to live, with housing costs so high. Jobs were scarce, and would be even scarcer with this merger. Cal had her right where he wanted her.

                As she reached for the door handle, Rose noticed a young blonde-haired man watching her sympathetically from the stairwell. Their eyes met for a moment; then, she turned and went back inside.


	6. Unbearable

Chapter Six

November 18, 2002

            The merger was finalized three days later. Titan Construction and Sunpeak held a formal business dinner to celebrate the merger and announce it to the media.

            Cal insisted that Rose accompany him. She didn't want to—she had a midterm the following morning—but Cal wanted her there. It looked good for him to have his fiancée accompany him.

            The meeting took place at Deveraux's. Rose wasn't fond of the place—it made think of the night Cal had proposed to her—but she went to the meeting without a fuss. Cal had insisted she buy a new dress for the occasion, and had picked it for her himself. The short, red and black satin dress was slippery—Rose had to brace her feet to keep from sliding out of her seat—and much too short and thin for the cold autumn night. Nevertheless, Cal had told her that it was "appropriate", and that she looked lovely.

            Rose would have preferred a long dress, but Cal had informed her that since they weren't going to be dancing, it wouldn't be appropriate. By the time Rose had shivered her way into the restaurant, she didn't care about appropriate anymore. She wanted a warmer garment.

            The evening had been dull. Despite the constant shouting from reporters, Rose felt her head nodding a few times from boredom. No one paid much attention to her—she was only a secretary, after all—and she spent most of the evening picking at her food while Cal made speeches and talked to reporters.

            The food was good enough, Rose thought, although she had never been particularly fond of veal, which was the main course. Still, as the evening wore on, she felt herself beginning to nod off, and finally resorted to pinching herself every time she felt her eyes start to close.

            The evening seemed interminable, and Rose was relieved when nine o'clock arrived and the reporters and executives began to clear out.

            "I take it you didn't enjoy the evening much?" Cal asked her as he drove her back to her dorm.

            "I was tired, and I've got a midterm in the morning that I need to study for."

            "Rose, it's important that you maintain an alert demeanor at business functions. These are for work, and to promote your career, not for you to sleep through."

            "I didn't fall asleep!"

            "You almost did. I saw you pinching yourself several times. If you were that bored, you should have gotten up and mingled with other people."

            And if I had, Rose reflected bitterly, you would have yelled at me for not remembering my place. I'm only a secretary, after all. Besides, your friends are bores.

            But to Cal she said, "All right. I'll try to do that next time."

            "See that you do."

            After Cal had dropped her off, Rose slowly made her way up to her room. Her roommates were out, probably studying. She needed to do the same.

            Rose glanced at her watch. It was nearly ten o'clock. She had to be up at seven to get to her class at eight, and she wasn't nearly ready for this test.

            Sighing, Rose sat down at the desk with her accounting textbook. She thought about changing her clothes first, but realized that she needed to study before she became any more tired.

            Opening the book, she turned to the section being tested. She read the book for a few minutes, but soon realized that she had no idea what she'd read. The words seemed to blur on the page. Rose reached up to rub her eyes and realized that she was crying.

            Rose pushed the book away and sat back. She was tired, overworked, and miserable. Cal was on her case constantly, dictating her life to her. The threat of being thrown out in the streets hung over her head like a dark cloud, and Rose saw no way out.

            The textbook seemed to mock her. Lying open on the desk, the carefully highlighted sentences glowing incomprehensibly, it seemed to symbolize to her everything that was wrong with her life.

            Without even thinking about what she was doing, Rose slammed the book shut and threw it against a wall. It thumped loudly and fell onto her bed, half-open. Someone in the next room banged on the wall.

            Rose stood in front of the mirror, trying to get in control of herself. Her eyes were red and puffy, and her makeup was streaked. Her carefully coifed hairdo was coming undone, and she looked unhappy and bedraggled. Hands shaking, she started to remove the bobby pins from her hair.

            One pin was tangled in her hair and refused to come loose. Frustrated, Rose grabbed a pair of scissors and snipped the pin loose.

            Throwing the scissors on the table, she gazed at herself sadly in the mirror. Her hand moved to touch the expensive pearl necklace that Cal had bought for her a few months ago. Clasped around her neck, it seemed to be choking her.

            With a wordless cry, Rose moved to unclasp the necklace. When it wouldn't immediately come loose, she grabbed the string of pearls and yanked on it. It broke, scattering pearls across the floor.

            Rose didn't notice. The room seemed to be closing in on her. Sobbing, she yanked the door open and ran down the hall, nearly knocking over Mari, who was returning from her study session. Mari stared at her in surprise, but Rose paid no attention.

            Still crying, Rose rushed down the stairs. A few people turned and stared at her, but Rose didn't notice. Reaching the front door of the building, she threw it open and rushed out into the night.


	7. Don't Do It

Chapter Seven

            Rose ran across the campus, sobbing. She wasn't sure where she was going; she only knew that she had to get away.

            A few students were still wandering around the campus, and they looked at her askance as she ran past them. A car honked at her and slammed on its brakes as she darted across a street, but Rose paid no attention.

            Rose's frantic flight finally ended three-quarters of the way across campus, when she slammed into a bike rack near the library. Panting, out of breath, she stood there for a moment, her hands clutching the steel bars. Then, gazing up at the library, she headed up the stairs.

            Rose wasn't certain what she was going to do, but when she saw the railing separating the landing from the long drop to the concrete below, she knew.

            The library's first floor was actually about thirty feet off the ground, with a basement and a sub-basement beneath. The sub-basement led to an outdoor patio, currently undergoing construction. The drop from the landing to the sub-basement patio was about sixty feet.

            Looking around to make sure no one was watching, Rose climbed over the railing. Her high-heeled shoes impaired her ability to climb, and she gripped the branches of a tall tree growing out of the sub-basement patio. Her tight dress restricted her movements, but somehow she found herself on the other side of the railing. Turning around carefully, she stared down, contemplating the blackness below.

            Rose's hands clutched convulsively at the top rail as she tried to convince herself to let go. All she had to do was loosen her grip, and she would fall to the concrete below. Even if she survived the initial fall, it was unlikely that anyone would find her until it was too late. She leaned forward, her hands still clutching the railing. All she had to do was let go, and she would be free. No more Cal, no more pressure, no more threats hanging over her head. No one could ever hurt her again.

            So deep was Rose's concentration that she didn't hear the footsteps coming up behind her. She didn't realize that anyone was there until the person spoke up.

            "Don't do it."

            Gasping with surprise, Rose turned her head to look at the speaker, nearly losing her grip on the railing. A young man with blonde hair and blue eyes stood just a few feet from her. Vaguely, Rose remembered seeing him that day at Sunpeak.

            "Stay back! Don't come any closer!"

            He was carrying a notebook full of loose papers. Setting it on top of the book drop, he edged closer.

            "Take my hand. I'll pull you back over."

            "No! Stay where you are. I mean it. I'll let go." As if to emphasize her point, she loosened her grip on the railing.

            He looked at her for a moment, wondering how to proceed. Then, it came to him.

            "No you won't."

            "What do you mean, no I won't? Don't presume to tell me what I will and will not do. You don't know me."

            He shrugged. "Well, you would have done it already. Now come on, take my hand."

            Rose looked at him in confusion, wiping angrily at her eyes. "You're distracting me. Go away."

            "I can't. I'm involved now. If you let go I'm going to have to climb down there after you."

            "Don't be absurd. You'll be killed."

            He stepped closer, gripping a low-hanging branch of the tree. "I'm a good climber."

            "If you slipped—"

            "It hasn't happened yet."

            Rose stared at him. "You're crazy."

            "That's what everyone says. But with all due respect, I'm not the one perched over a sub-basement here." He moved a little closer. "Come on. You don't want to do this. Give me your hand."

            Rose stared at him for a long moment, undecided. Finally, she realized that he was right. She didn't want to jump.

            Slowly, Rose took one hand from the railing and gripped her rescuer's hand. Now that she had decided to live, the drop was terrifying. Still clinging to the railing with her other hand, she turned around.

            Her rescuer smiled with relief. "I'm Jack Dawson."

            Rose couldn't help but return the smile. "I'm Rose DeWitt-Bukater."

            "I'm gonna have to get you to write that one down."

            Rose laughed, shakily, and began to climb back over. As she put her foot on the lowest railing, one of her high heels caught in a crack in the concrete. With a terrified scream, she fell toward the black abyss.

            Jack still had hold of her hand, and she dragged him halfway over. As she fell, she managed to grip the edge of the concrete landing with her other hand.

            "Help me!" she screamed, struggling desperately to find purchase on the smooth concrete wall. Her screams became louder as she felt Jack's grip slip a little. "Please, help me!"

            Jack tightened his grip on Rose's hand as he lunged backward from the railing, pulling her partway up. "I've got you. I won't let go. Now, pull yourself up!"

            Rose managed to grab the top rail. Grabbing the front of her dress, Jack pulled her the rest of the way over. They fell in a heap.

            Two campus police officers had heard Rose's screams and come running. They saw Rose lying on the ground, crying, her now-torn dress pushed up past her thighs. Jack had landed on top of her.

            The officers immediately jumped to conclusions. One grabbed Jack and snapped a pair of handcuffs on him, while the other helped Rose up.

            It took a moment for Rose to realize that they were trying to arrest Jack. One of the officers began to read him his rights. Rose stopped him.

            "What are you doing?"

            "Go sit down. We'll be with you in a minute."

            "He didn't do anything."

            The cop stopped talking and looked at her. "Excuse me?"

            "He didn't lay a hand on me."

            "That's not what it looked like."

            "It was an accident. Stupid, really. I dropped something over the railing, and I couldn't get my hand far enough under the railing to reach it, so it tried to lean over it, and I slipped. I would have fallen, but Jack here saved me, and almost went over himself." She looked at Jack pleadingly, willing him to comply with her story.

            The cop looked at him. "Was that what happened?"

            Jack nodded. "Uh, yeah, that was pretty much it."

            The other cop unlocked Jack's handcuffs, still suspicious. Something about Rose's story didn't sound quite right, but since she was refusing to press charges, there was nothing he could do.

            "Do you need to be escorted back to your dorm or something?" he asked Rose.

            She shook her head, noting her two roommates hurrying toward the library. "I'm all right. Besides, my roommates are here. They'll walk with me."

            He put the handcuffs away and nodded as Mari and Michelle came running up. "We'll be going now."

            "Okay. Thank you."

            Mari ran up to Rose, knocking Jack's notebook off the book drop in her haste. Papers scattered everywhere, but Mari didn't notice. "Rose! Are you okay?"

            "Yeah. Yeah, Mari, I'm fine."

            "You looked like you were ready to throw yourself in front of a moving car or something!" she exclaimed, noticing Rose's torn dress. "What did you do?"

            Rose winced, not wanting to be reminded of the mistake she had almost made. "Nothing. I just..." She looked around, searching for something to change the subject. She noticed Jack picking up the scattered papers.

            "Let's help him pick up. You dumped his notebook."

            Michelle was already helping. She looked at Jack with interest. Rose felt an unaccountable jealousy. "This is Jack Dawson."

            "Pleased to meet you." Mari handed him a stack of photocopies. "I'm Mari Lopez, and this is Michelle Palmer. We're Rose's roommates."

            Rose picked up one of the photocopies. It was a picture of a medieval painting. Curious, Rose opened her mouth to ask Jack about it, but Michelle was already talking.

            "Are you a student here?"

            "Uh, no..."

            Jack noticed that one of the cops had returned and was eyeing him suspiciously. "I'd better get going. Rose can tell you what happened." He picked up his notebook and one last scattered paper and hurried away. The cop made no move to follow him.

            "So what did happen, Rose?" Mari was still worried about her.

            Rose gave her roommates the same story she had given the cops. Michelle was satisfied with the story, but Mari didn't quite believe her.

            "So why were you crying like that?" she asked, as they walked back to the dorm.

            Rose just shrugged, refusing to volunteer any additional information. She saw a folded piece of paper on the sidewalk and picked it up, trying to distract her friend.

            "What's that?" Michelle asked, eyeing the crumpled paper.

            Rose unfolded it and took a look. It was a schedule for classes at Masline City College, with Jack's name on it.

            "I think Jack lost one of his papers," Rose replied, tucking the paper into her pocket.

            Michelle looked at her. "You going to return it to him, Rose?"

            "I wouldn't know where to find him."

            "Sure you can," Mari piped up. "It says Masline City College."

            "Still..."

            "I think you should go for it," Michelle told her. "Maybe you can find someone better than your creepy fiancé."

            Rose didn't want to talk about Cal. "You looked like you were interested in Jack. You should return it."

            "He's cute, I guess, but I think I'll stick with university guys. They've got better futures."

            And that, Rose thought, was half the problem.


	8. Poor Little Rich Girl

Chapter Eight

November 19, 2002

            Rose groaned as her alarm went off, signaling the beginning of a new day. Quickly, she shut off the alarm, before it could wake her roommates.

            Rose looked around. Mari and Michelle still slept peacefully, despite the loud beeping. Michelle's hand was flung out, clutching the blind cords in a death grip. Mari mumbled something, then pulled the blankets over her head.

            Rose grabbed a few clothes and headed for the shower. She felt oddly happy this morning, as if she had a new lease on life. And, she reflected, she did. She would survive, no matter what Cal or anyone else threw at her.

            Rose showered and dressed quickly, then headed for her accounting class and the midterm. She only had this one class this morning, so she was free the rest of the morning. She didn't have to be at work until one o'clock.

            As she worked her way through the midterm, Rose debated whether to drive over to Masline and return Jack's schedule to him. He probably didn't need it, she reasoned, so there was no reason to visit him. On the other hand, she wanted to see him again. She knew she shouldn't go, and she knew that Cal would be furious if he found out, but she felt that she should at least thank him for saving her life. After all, she had nearly dragged him over the railing, too, and then he had nearly been arrested because of her.

            When she finished her midterm, Rose hurried out to the parking lot. After carefully backing out of her space—two other cars had parked so near to hers that it was hard to get out—she headed down the freeway toward Masline, twenty-five miles away.

            Rose found her way to Masline City College without too much difficulty, although she had difficulty finding a parking space once she got there.

            Climbing out of the SUV, Rose pulled the schedule out of her purse and tried to determine where she might find Jack. The schedule showed that he should be getting of a class in the art building soon, but she had no idea where it was.

            After asking for directions several times, Rose finally found the building she was looking for. As she reached it, students began to stream out the doors. Rose waited, looking to see if Jack was among them.

            Just as she was about to go inside and look for Jack's classroom, he stepped out of the building. He didn't see her at first, as he was talking animatedly to a student with black hair and a heavy accent. When he caught sight of her, he looked surprised, then headed in her direction.

            "I'll catch you later, Fabrizio," he called, waving to his friend. Fabrizio shouted back in an unfamiliar language, then took off across the quad.

            Jack turned to Rose. "What brings you here?" he asked, looking her over curiously.

            Rose was suddenly embarrassed. It had been a stupid idea, driving all this way to return a piece of paper.

            "I...ah...you dropped this last night," she told him, holding out the piece of paper.

            Jack took it and looked at it. It was his class schedule, which he no longer really needed, having memorized where everything was.

            "Uh...thank you," he told her. Had she really come all this way for that?

            Rose shuffled her feet uncomfortably. "You're welcome. Um...I'd better be going." She turned to leave.

            Jack's voice stopped her. "Rose...you really drove all this way to return a piece of paper?" His voice was doubtful.

            Rose blushed. This was one of the stupidest things she had ever done. "Well...actually...I wanted to thank you for what you did last night. Not just for pulling me back, but for your discretion."

            "You're welcome."

            Rose sat down on a bench near the door. "Look, I know what you must be thinking. Poor little rich girl. What does she know about misery?"

            Jack sat down beside her. "No, actually, that's not what I was thinking at all."

            Rose looked up at him.

            "I was thinking, what could have happened to this girl to make her think she had no way out?"

            Rose was silent for a moment. "I...well...it was my whole life, and all the people in it. And the inertia of my life, plunging ahead and me powerless to stop it." She held out her engagement ring.

            "Man, look at that thing! You would have hit like a sack of bricks."

            "The wedding is scheduled for next June. My mother is making all the plans for me...I have no say in anything."

            "Do you love the guy you're marrying?"

            Rose looked at him, shocked. "What?"

            "Do you love the guy or not? It's a simple question."

            "His name is Caledon Hockley, and I..." Rose couldn't answer the question. She didn't love Cal, and was more certain every day that she didn't want to marry him, but she couldn't tell Jack that.

            She changed the subject, instead. "What is this stupid thing you're carrying around?" She gestured to a portfolio at the top of his stack of books and notebooks. Grabbing it, she looked at the papers inside.

            "So what are you, an artist or something?" She looked closer. "Jack, this is excellent work."

            "Well, it's not up to professional standards yet, but I keep working on it. These are mostly for school purposes."

            Rose had come to a series of nude drawings. "Are these for school purposes, too?"

            "Some of them are." He was blushing.

            Rose looked more closely at the drawings. "You like this woman. You used her several times."

            "She's a good model. Doesn't act all scared or nervous at being drawn sans clothing."

            "I think you must have had a love affair with this woman."

            "Oh, no. She's Fabrizio's fiancée. If I laid a hand on her, he'd beat me to a bloody pulp."

            "Fabrizio. Isn't he the guy you were talking to a few minutes ago?"

            "Yeah. We're renting a house in a slightly run-down area of Masline, along with another guy, Tommy Ryan, who's not in college right now, and Fabrizio's fiancée, Helga Dahl."

            "You can afford that?"

            "The neighborhood's not exactly in a high-class area. The house rents for about six hundred a month. It would be more, but the roof leaks and part of the kitchen was burned out by the last tenants. We each pay about one hundred fifty dollars a month, though we'll be needing to find some new roommates soon, since Fabrizio and Helga are getting married in April and moving out."

            Rose contemplated this. She might be able to afford rent that low, though of course she wouldn't need to, since she was marrying Cal.

            Instead, she asked, "Don't you work for Sunpeak?"

            Jack nodded. "You remember seeing me there."

            "Yeah. How do you like it?"

            "It sucks. The hours are too long, especially if you're a full-timer, and the pay is as low as it can get. If it weren't for the fact that they're the biggest employer in Masline, I don't know how they'd find employees. Of course, they have fewer people now that they've merged with Titan Construction, but that just makes the hours longer. Someone complained, and the area manager said that business is better than its been in years, and we should be grateful for all the work we have to do. Right. Their full time employees work sixty hours in a short week, and the bosses think they're being generous."

            Rose shook her head sympathetically. "How many people have been laid off?"

            "About a fourth of them."

            "But you're still there?"

            "Yes. Unfortunately. Although, since they said that the people they'd laid off just weren't performing well enough, it might make another job harder to find." He looked at his watch. "I have to be there in a couple of hours. I work part time, two to seven, Monday through Friday, and sometimes, or now usually, Saturdays, because they want to get the work through in a 'timely' fashion."

            Rose clenched her hands angrily. "I knew this would happen! Mergers are only good for the executives!" When Jack looked at her questioningly, she explained, "Cal is CEO of Titan Construction. He thinks this merger is a wonderful idea. He's getting a big bonus for helping push it through."

            "Well, won't that be good for you?"

            Rose turned to him furiously. "Listen, buster, I couldn't care less about big bonuses and high status! Maybe I have more compassion than I should for people, but I think that the rights of people should come before the profits of executives and presidents!"

            "So what are you majoring in? Sociology? Pre-law?"

            "Business."

            He laughed. "You're so concerned with the rights of workers, but you're majoring in business? What are you doing, planning a revolution in the workplace?"

            "Being a business major was Cal's idea, not mine."

            He just looked at her for a minute. Rose, realizing that she had revealed more than she had planned, changed the subject.

            "We've talked about me. What about you? Why do you work for Sunpeak? Why are you a student here? What were you doing at Elias last night?"

            He sat back, considering. "It's a long story."

            "I've got time."

            He grinned. Rose didn't give up on things easily.

            "Well...you want the complete story or the abbreviated one?"

            "Whichever you choose to tell."

            "Okay...I've been on my own, more or less, since I was fifteen, when my parents died in a fire."

            Rose interrupted him. "Oh, I'm sorry!"

            "It's all right. It's been a long time now—six years. Anyway, I was put into the foster care system. I admit I didn't take too kindly to it—there were all these rules that I wasn't accustomed to, some of the foster homes weren't so nice, and I missed my folks. I ran away several times, but they kept catching me and bringing me back. When I was seventeen, I fell in with a gang of petty criminals...drug dealing, theft, that sort of thing."

            "You were a drug dealer?"

            "No...I didn't get into that. I'd seen too many kids who'd been hurt by drug use, and the stuff this gang sold was mostly the really hard stuff—cocaine, methamphetamines, stuff like that. Pot was one thing, but the other stuff is too dangerous."

            "I once made an impromptu speech about how people have the right to smoke pot if they like," Rose commented.

            "I agree...if no one gets hurt."

            Rose nodded in agreement.

            "But I never even got into selling marijuana, or using any drugs, either. I got into petty theft, mostly picking pockets, snatching purses, and walking off with unguarded valuables."

            She just stared at him, her eyes wide.

            "I finally got caught...I tried to steal from an undercover cop. I was convicted, and spent eight months in juvenile hall. They let me out shortly after I turned eighteen."

            "Ah...do you still...uh...like to steal from people?" Rose asked, moving slightly away from him.

            He shook his head. "Eight months in juvenile hall taught me my lesson. I always appreciated my freedom, so being locked up was torture. I didn't like a lot of the other kids, either—some of them were real hard cases, and I figured that if they were that bad as kids, they'd be worse as adults, and didn't want to wind up in prison with them. When they let me out of there, I took off. I found some creative ways of earning a living, but nothing that was illegal."

            "What did you do for a living?"

            "A lot of things. I hitchhiked from place to place, did day labor, worked temporary jobs...I even worked picking crops with migrant workers for a while." He shook his head. "The way some of those farm owners treat these workers makes Sunpeak look really good."

            "So why do they put up with it?"

            "A lot of them are illegal immigrants, so they really can't say anything without fear of being deported. And, for many of them, it's still better than what they left behind." He paused. "Fabrizio was an illegal immigrant from Mexico. We worked together a lot, and when we'd decided that we'd both had enough of working the fields, we left. We took off for Los Angeles, where I drew portraits of tourists for two dollars each. Fabrizio managed to get a fake green card, and he's now working on becoming a citizen. After Fabrizio met Helga, we moved down to Masline, were Helga was living with her cousin, Tommy. They were looking for roommates to help share the cost of rent, so we moved in with them. I got a job working for Sunpeak, and decided to go to college. Masline City College is inexpensive, and you can take your time learning, studying what you want, without them pressuring you to choose a major or be a full-time student. I'm a part-time student, taking two classes, but I have enough time to learn everything. The semester is eighteen weeks long, so you don't have too much pressure."

            Rose looked at him with admiration. "Why can't I be like you, Jack? Choose my own life, study what I want, take things at my own pace." She paused. "Say we'll go to Los Angeles sometime, even if we only ever just talk about it."

            "No, we'll do it. We'll visit Olvera Street, and go people-watching. We'll find one of the cheap amusement parks, drink cheap beer, and ride on the roller coaster 'til we throw up. Oh, and we'll visit the beaches, and go surfing."

            Rose giggled with delight. "Can you show me?"

            "Sure."

            "Teach me to ride the waves."

            "And wipe out."

            "And...and bodysurf!"

            "What, you don't know how to do that?"

            "No!"

            "Man, you've got a lot to learn!"

            Rose shouted with laughter. "Of course I do. I'm just a freshman!"

            "Me, too, but you don't see me complaining!"

            Rose doubled over laughing. She hadn't enjoyed herself so much in a long time.

            "You're too old to be a freshman!"

            "Not here! I'm helping design the set for the musical the theater department is doing, and half the other designers—and the actors—are older than me."

            "What musical is it?"

            "It's a Broadway musical—Titanic."

            Rose clapped her hands in delight. "I've always wanted to see that, ever since I found the lyrics on the Internet! When does it open?"

            "This Friday. It's running for two weekends. There's still tickets available for all but the last performance, which is a matinee. Those always sell out early."

            Rose thought about it. "I'd like to see it, but Cal always insists we go out on Saturday nights—he chooses where—and he gets really upset if I go someplace without him."

            "So bring him along."

            "I don't know...he thinks this place is beneath him."

            "Tell him you've always wanted to see this musical, and this is the first time it's been shown close by."

            Rose frowned, then shrugged. She could only try.

            "I'll try to get him to take me." She watched as another group of students began trickling into the building. "What time is it?"

            He glanced at his watch. "Twelve thirty."

            Rose leaped to her feet. "I'm going to be late for work. I've got to run."

            "I'll walk you to your car. Where are you parked?"

            "Over that way." Rose gestured in the direction of one of the parking lots.

            As they hurried toward the parking lot, Jack asked her, "What's your e-mail address?"

            "Rosedb@yahoo.com," she told him, digging for her keys. "What's yours?"

            "Dawson@hotmail.com," he replied. "I'll e-mail you, okay?"

            "Good. Thanks," she told him, unlocking the door. "I've really got to get going. Cal's going to kill me if I'm late."

            "Okay. See you, Rose." He waved, wondering if she'd be back.


	9. Titanic

Chapter Nine

Saturday, November 23, 2002

            "Come on, Cal. Please? I'd really like to see this." Rose spoke into the phone, her eyes scanning the newspaper in front of her.

            "Rose, if you want to see a theatrical production, I'll take you to Los Angeles. Not to some half-baked community college production."

            "This isn't being shown in Los Angeles right now," Rose told him. "I already checked."

            "Then you can wait until it is."

            "I heard a sample of the music through this place you can call through the newspaper. It sounded really good. Besides, the reviewer says it's excellent."

            "I am not taking you to see a college production, Rose, and that's final."

            "Then I'll go by myself."

            "I don't want you roaming around by yourself in a strange place. It could be dangerous."

            "There'll be plenty of people around. Besides, I visited Masline City College last year. It's not that bad."

            "In case you've forgotten, Rose, we have a date tonight. I'm taking you out to dinner and a movie."

            "Why don't we go to the theater instead of the movies? This musical has to be at least as good as most of the movies we might see."

            "Rose..." The warning in Cal's voice was unmistakable.

            "Please, Cal. Just this once."

            Cal was silent for moment. Finally, with a sigh, he relented. "All right, Rose. But only this once."

            After they had hung up, Rose jumped up and danced around jubilantly. Something was going her way, for once. And, although she wouldn't admit it, even to herself, she hoped to see Jack again.

            The show was excellent. Rose admired the stage design, wondering which parts of it Jack had worked on. The actors were well rehearsed, very professional, and even Cal applauded at the end of the show.

            Afterwards, the actors and the audience strolled outside to mingle. Cal was impatient, wanting to leave before it got too late, but Rose was talking to one of the actresses, complimenting her and the whole cast on a job well done.

            Cal was surprised when a young man with blonde hair came up to Rose, asking her how she liked the show. He didn't look like one of the actors, and Cal was immediately suspicious.

            He put a possessive hand on Rose's arm. "Who's this, sweetpea?" he asked, looking at the young man warningly.

            "Cal, this is Jack Dawson. He's a student here, and helped design the set for the show."

            Cal nodded curtly to Jack, then tugged on Rose's arm. "It's getting late. We'd better get going."

            Rose followed reluctantly. When they reached the car, she turned on him.

            "That was rude."

            Cal started the car, ignoring her remark. Rose's temper flared.

            "You could have at least been polite. You didn't even talk to anybody after the show."

            Cal just glanced at her. His mouth twitched angrily.

            "What's with you and this Jack Dawson?" he demanded.

            Rose sighed. "Mari and I ran into him at the library at Elias. He was doing research, making copies from books. Mari sent his notebook flying, and we helped him pick up the mess."

            "And he knows you well enough to pick you out of a crowd?"

            "We exchanged names. It seemed polite." They had stopped at a red light, and Rose noticed Cal clutching the steering wheel angrily. "He's an acquaintance, Cal. Nothing more."

            "He'd better not be, Rose. You're my fiancée. Please try to remember that."

            "As if I could forget."

            Cal's hand connected with her face. Rose ducked, trying to stay out of reach, rubbing her stinging cheek. It wasn't the first time Cal had slapped her, but he seemed to hit her a little harder each time.

            "You'd better watch it, Rose," he warned her, as the light turned green.

            Rose just sat back in her seat, seething with resentment.


	10. The Months To Follow

Chapter Ten

            Despite Cal's warnings, Rose became closer to Jack in the months that followed. He possessed a quiet understanding that Cal lacked, and Rose felt that she could talk to him about anything. More than that, she enjoyed his company. He made her laugh.

            Before long, they were exchanging e-mail daily, and talking on the phone often. Rose visited his home in Masline, and met Tommy, Fabrizio, and Helga. Rose was pleased to discover that Helga knew Trudy and Sophie, and soon the four friends formed a social group, often including the guys in their activities.

            Rose knew that she had found a friend in Jack, but was careful to keep her distance. Knowing, as she did, how Cal would react if he thought that they were anything more than friends, she made sure that they never got too close. Even so, she found herself wishing that they could be more than friends, and she suspected that Jack felt the same way. Nevertheless, he didn't try to interfere in her relationship with Cal, except for an occasional comment about how unhappy Rose seemed with her fiancé.


	11. Dance Party

Chapter Eleven

Saturday, April 19, 2003

            Fabrizio and Helga were married on a sunny Saturday in April. Rose attended the wedding, acting as a bridesmaid for Helga, along with Trudy and Sophie. Jack was best man, having called in "sick" to get out of work. Tommy acted as ringbearer, incurring a lot of teasing from the others.

            The wedding went well, except for the piano player missing her cue and not starting the music until Helga was halfway up the aisle. This caused a great deal of laughter, but no hard feelings. Rose wondered how Cal would react to such a thing.

            After the wedding, they all returned to the house that the four roommates had shared. Fabrizio and Helga had found an apartment to live in, but it wasn't big enough for a wedding reception.

            Trudy teased Rose that she would probably catch the bouquet, as she was the next one getting married. Rose wondered if there was anything to the superstition that the person who caught the bouquet would be the next one married. Maybe if she didn't catch it, she wouldn't have to marry Cal.

            So Rose reacted with both surprise and delight when Helga's three-year-old niece caught the bouquet. The little girl shouted with delight, then hit the little boy standing next to her with it.

            The party was held in the back yard, although it soon began to spill over into the house and the front yard as more and more people arrived—friends of the bride and groom, neighbors, a wanna-be singer from the local high school. The street was packed with cars, and more were parked around the block.

            As it grew dark, one of the neighbors hauled over a stereo system, and Tommy brought out his guitar. The high school kid tried singing until several people threw cake at him. He finally gave up and settled for drinking beer instead.

            The beat from the music pounded through the dimly lit yard. Jack grabbed Rose's hand.

            "Come on! Dance with me!"

            Rose protested at first. "Jack, no! I couldn't possibly, Jack!" But she was laughing and smiling the whole time.

            Jack spun her around. Screeching with laughter, Rose grabbed his hand and whirled in a circle. They both nearly stumbled into another group of dancers. Still laughing, Rose stopped in an open spot and shouted, "Hey, Jack! Watch this!" Putting her feet into fifth position, she proceeded to do something that looked like a cross between the Macarena and the Chicken.

            Jack stared at her for a moment, then, laughing, he tried to imitate her. Unable to keep his balance, he fell against her, and they wound up in a laughing heap.

            Out of breath, they leaned back against the fence, watching the festivities. Briefly, Rose wondered where Cal was. He hadn't been happy about her being a part of this wedding, but, for once, Rose hadn't listened to him. She had told him that she would see him in the morning—the last couple of months he had begun showing up for breakfast on Sunday mornings—and had left it at that. She knew that he hoped she would stop by to see him once the reception was over, but Rose doubted that she would. The party would probably run until late, and she really didn't feel like visiting him anyway.

            The newlyweds were trying to sneak through the house toward their car, but the guests caught on and followed them. Laughing, Rose and Jack slipped through a side gate and met them out front, rice at the ready.

            Jack, with Rose in tow, slipped over to the back bumper and tied half a dozen cans to it. When Helga opened the passenger side door, Rose pounced, showering her friend with rice. Helga laughed, holding up her arms to shield herself against the assault.

            The married couple backed slowly down the driveway, as their guests threw more rice, confetti, and silly string at them, them stopped at the end of the driveway while a black car moved up the street, trying to avoid the badly parked vehicles and the press of people.

            When they finally pulled away, the crowd cheered. Someone started dancing, and soon others joined him. Jack grabbed Rose's hands and whirled her around, then picked her up, imitating a ballet dancer. Rose screeched with laughter.

            In the confusion, neither of them noticed the man standing across the street, watching them.


	12. Honor Me

Chapter Twelve

Sunday, April 20, 2003

            Rose, Ruth, and Cal sat around the breakfast table. Neither Rose nor Cal spoke, but only glared at each other in stony silence. Ruth, ignoring the tension between the two, was talking about her latest project. Her job as an interior designer kept her busy seven days a week.

            When Cal had arrived that morning, he had barely been civil to Rose. Rose had ignored him, sitting across from him at the table in silence. Ruth talked on, trying to lighten the mood.

            Now, Ruth glanced at the clock. "I have to be going," she told them. "I have a meeting with a client before church." She looked at Cal. "You'll give Rose a ride, won't you? There's going to be a baptism this morning, so there won't be much extra parking."

            Cal nodded. "Of course."

            Rose rolled her eyes. Cal had taken to accompanying her to church as well. There weren't many places she could go without his supervision, and Rose wished that he would stay out of at least some of her activities.

            When the front door closed behind Ruth, Cal finally spoke to Rose. "I had hoped that you would come to me last night."

            Rose looked at her plate. "I was tired."

            "Your exertions yesterday evening were no doubt exhausting."

            Rose stiffened. "You were spying on me. How typical."

            Cal gritted his teeth. "You will never behave like that again, Rose. Do you understand me?"

            Rose glared at him. "I'm not a middle manager that you can command. I'm your fiancée."

            Cal stared at her a moment, then exploded in anger. "My fiancée. My fiancée! Yes, you are!" He came around the table to confront her. "My wife in practice if not yet by law, so you will honor me. You will honor me as a wife is supposed to honor her husband, because I will not be made a fool of, Rose. Is this in any way unclear?"

            He expected her to back down, to cower from him. Rose, however, had had enough of his explosive temper, and she refused to back down.

            "I do honor you, Cal. You know that. But you can't tell me when I will hang out with my friends, or what friends I will see, or anything else."

            "Friends? And I suppose that Jack Dawson is one of your 'friends'?"

            Rose looked him in the eye. "Yes."

            "And you don't have any other feelings for him?"

            Rose flushed guiltily. It was true; she wished that she could be more than "just friends" with Jack, although she had never acted upon those feelings.

            Cal watched her face redden with guilt. Incensed, he slapped her across the face. "So, it is the little slut, isn't it?"

            "Cal—"

            He wouldn't let her get a word in edgewise. "I think I know why you're always too tired to come to me, or you have to study, or you're too busy. You're sleeping with him, aren't you?"

            Rose got to her feet, furious. "You know damned well that's not—"

            Cal's fist connected with her cheekbone. Shocked, Rose fell back against the counter, her hand flying to her face. When he began unbuckling his belt, she realized his intent and began to run.

            Cal was too fast for her. He grabbed her, spinning her around and plowing one fist into her stomach. Rose doubled over in pain, the wind knocked out of her.

            Before she could recover, Cal hit her several more times, then threw her to the floor. Her head hit the edge of the table as she fell, and she lay there, stunned.

            Rose gasped in pain as Cal's foot drove into her ribs, cracking two of them. Then he was on her, tearing at her clothes.

            "No!" Rose struggled, trying to scratch his face, but he was too strong, and he soon overpowered her.

            When he was finished, Cal got to his feet, straightening his clothes, as calm as if nothing had happened. Rose lay on the floor, crying.

            To her surprise, Cal helped her to her feet and handed her a tissue. "Go change your clothes," he told her.

            Rose looked at herself. One of the straps was torn off her sundress, and her right arm was badly bruised. A cut on her cheek dripped blood, and her cracked ribs made it difficult to breathe. Her head ached where she had struck it on the table.

            Striving to control her tears, Rose slowly made her way up the stairs. She changed into a long-sleeved pantsuit, to hide the bruises on her arms and legs, and lightly applied makeup, trying to hide the cut on her face.

            Staring at herself in the mirror, she felt tears threaten again. Her whole body ached, and her head whirled dizzily when she moved, but worst of all was the shame and humiliation of what Cal had done to her.

            She stumbled down the stairs, clutching the handrail as her head spun. Cal was waiting for her at the foot of the stairs. "Hurry up, we're going to be late," was all he said to her.

            As they got into the car, he turned to her. Rose shrunk back, afraid of him now.

            "Don't look at me like that. You know you deserved it. I don't like having to discipline you, Rose, but you need to learn to behave appropriately. I don't want to see you going around with other men. You're my fiancée, and you'll be my wife in a couple of months. You can't run around acting like a whore."

            Rose heard him as if from a distance. Her head ached more fiercely with every passing moment. "I need an aspirin," was all she said.

            Cal looked at her impatiently, gesturing to the glove compartment. He hoped that she had understood what he had said. He really did hate having to keep her in line.

            Rose struggled with the childproof cap on the bottle of aspirin. Exasperated, Cal took the bottle from her as he parked the car and handed her two tablets.

            Rose swallowed them dry, her head too painful for her to care about finding water first. Cal looked at her in irritation and tossed the bottle back into the glove compartment. He got out of the car, gesturing for Rose to follow him. The last stragglers were entering the building, and Rose stumbled after them, trying desperately to keep her balance.


	13. What Happened To You!

Chapter Thirteen

            Rose sat down next to her mother just as the minister began to speak. Ruth turned to berate her for being late, but stopped when she caught sight of Rose's face.

            "Rose! What happened to you?"

            Rose felt Cal's hand tighten warningly on her arm. "I fell down the stairs," she told her, avoiding her eyes.

            Ruth seemed to accept this, because she turned her attention back to the service. Rose slumped back in her seat, her hand moving up to touch the lump on the back of her head. To her surprise, her hair was matted with dried blood. Cal saw her touching her head and yanked her arm back down.

            Rose didn't look at him. She stared straight ahead, fighting back tears. Why couldn't she just say that he had beaten her, and be done with it?

            Because, she thought, if she told about the beating, she would have to tell about the rape, too, and she was too humiliated to admit to what had happened. Almost deliriously, she wondered if perhaps she had brought it on herself. Cal was her fiancé, after all, and she should have been more attentive to him; she should have spent less time running around with her friends. Still, she thought, he had been wrong about Jack, and even if she had driven him to hit her, there was no reason for it to have gone so far.

            The service seemed interminable. Rose's head pounded; the aspirin had helped, but not enough. Whenever she stood, she had to clutch the back of the pew in front of her for support as her head spun dizzily. To make matters worse, her stomach felt queasy, and she swallowed hard against nausea.

            When the service ended, Rose stumbled outside. The bright sunlight hurt her eyes, and she raised a hand to shield them. Ruth was talking animatedly to the client she had spoken of earlier that morning. Cal, too, had found someone to talk to, and Rose hoped that one of them would hurry and take her home. All she wanted was to lie down.

            Rose leaned against a wall, willing her head to stop spinning, as her queasy stomach rebelled against the scents of flowers and coffee. Letting go of the wall, she staggered over to a nearby garbage can and threw up.

            Ruth noticed and came hurrying over. "Rose!" She stopped when she saw Rose's eyes. The pupils were dilated, one larger than the other. "Rose, look at me." She took Rose's head in her hands and found the swollen lump on the back of her head. "Why didn't you say you'd hit your head?"

            Rose didn't answer. Her legs threatening to buckle, she held onto her mother's shoulders for support. Cal hurried over.

            Ruth turned to him. "Cal! Why didn't you notice that Rose had hit her head? You should have taken her straight to the emergency room."

            Cal hesitated. "I...I didn't realize how bad it was. She got right up. She looked fine, except for the cut on her face."

            A crowd had begun to gather. Rose looked at them, embarrassed by the attention. "I'll be fine," she whispered, as the ground rushed up to meet her.


	14. Nothing To Worry About

Chapter Fourteen

            Rose awoke to see a doctor standing over her, shining a bright light into her eyes. Wincing, she tried to turn her head away.

            A nurse stopped her. Holding Rose's head gently but firmly, she allowed the doctor to complete his examination.

            When the doctor stepped outside for a moment, Rose glanced around in confusion. She was lying on a bed in the emergency room, with drawn curtains on each side of her. Her clothes were carefully folded and set aside; she was wearing a hospital gown. Something was wrapped tightly around her cracked ribs.

            She looked at the nurse. "How did I get here?"

            "Your mother said you fainted at church, so she and your fiancé brought you here. You were unconscious when they brought you in. They said you fell down the stairs at home."

            Rose nodded, wincing as her aching head protested the motion. "Yes. That's right."

            The doctor stepped back in. "You appear to have a nasty concussion, but we're going to run an MRI and a CAT scan to be sure." He gestured to the nurse to write the instructions down.

            Another nurse came in, Ruth and Cal in tow. Ruth looked relieved when she saw that Rose was awake.

            "Rose, darling, how do you feel?" she asked, leaning down to look at her.

            "I have a headache," Rose mumbled, looking from Ruth to Cal. Cal looked worried, although how much of his worry was over her injury, and how much was over his fear of getting into trouble, Rose couldn't be sure.

            "We're going to run a couple of tests to be sure, but it looks like she just has a concussion, some bruises, and a couple of broken ribs," the doctor told them, trying to assuage their worries.

            Ruth looked alarmed. "That sounds serious."

            "It can be, but she'll probably heal okay. Her ribs are just cracked, and the bruises will fade in a short time. The real problem at the moment is her head injury. Even if it's just a concussion, I'm going to want to admit her overnight to watch her."

            Ruth nodded shakily. "Okay. I just hope my HMO covers it."

            Rose listened with detachment, wondering how Cal would react if she told them what had really happened.

            Cal reached down to touch Rose's face. Rose wanted to jerk her head away, but didn't have the energy.

            "I'll see about paying for anything the insurance doesn't cover."

            He could afford it, too, Rose reflected numbly. His seven figure salary made even medical expenditures affordable. He could beat her senseless, then pay someone to fix her up, and be discreet about it.

            The nurses began wheeling Rose's bed out of the curtained area. "We'll let you know whatever happens," one of them told Ruth, who was wringing her hands nervously.

            Rose shut her eyes as they pushed her through the hallway. Her head still ached, and her stomach was still queasy. Her mouth tasted terrible, and the tight binding on her ribs made it even more difficult to breathe.

            The technician who ran the tests tried to reassure her, but Rose was still worried. What if her skull was cracked? What if she couldn't be cured? What if she died? Had she chosen to live that night five months

earlier only to die at Cal's hands today?

            She was still worrying, and growing more agitated by the minute, when the nurses brought her back into the emergency area. The doctor returned with the test results.

            "It's just a concussion," he told her after looking them over. "We'll keep you here overnight, but you'll probably be fine." He paused, thinking. Finally, he spoke again. "Your injuries are not consistent with a fall down the stairs."

            Rose felt her heart begin to pound with dread. "What do you mean?"

            "Falling down the stairs could have produced a concussion, or cracked ribs, or bruises, but not in the way you have them. It appears that someone beat you."

            "I just tripped on the top stair and fell all the way down. That's all." She averted her eyes.

            He nodded skeptically. Rose noticed him scribble something that looked like "possible DA" at the bottom of the paper.

            He stood up to leave. One of the nurses had returned. She helped Rose get to her feet and into a wheelchair.

            "She'll get you upstairs and get you settled." Handing the nurse the clipboard, he turned and left.

            Ruth had followed the nurse in. Picking up Rose's belongings, she put a hand on her daughter's shoulder. "Cal had to leave. He said he'd be back later to see you. I'll accompany you upstairs, and then I'll be on my way. I'll be back to pick you up tomorrow."

            Rose suddenly wanted her mother there. "Mom...please don't leave."

            "I have to leave, Rose. I need to work this afternoon. This client wants the work done right away. I'll see you tomorrow."

            "Mom, no. Please."

            "It'll be okay, Rose." The nurse pushed Rose's wheelchair through a doorway. "I'll be back to get you tomorrow afternoon, and Cal will probably visit you later today. You don't need visitors going in and out all afternoon. You need to rest."

            "I don't want to see Cal." She wanted to say more, to say why she didn't want to see Cal, but Ruth stopped her.

            "Rose, that's enough. I'm going now. I'll see you tomorrow." She left before Rose could say another word.

            Rose bit her lip, trying not to cry, as the nurse set up an IV line. Her mother cared more about a client than she did about her daughter, and she still had to deal with Cal later on.


	15. Open Your Heart To Me

Chapter Fifteen

            Rose slept fitfully for several hours. The nurses checked on her frequently, waking her every hour to make sure she was all right. At five o'clock, Cal finally showed up.

            Rose was sitting up in bed, staring blankly at the television, when he walked in. Cal reached over and shut the television off.

            For the first time, Rose looked at him. "Go away."

            He didn't listen. Instead, he pulled up a chair and sat down beside her.

            Rose stared at him. He had brought flowers and a small, wrapped package. After setting the flowers on the bedside table, he handed her the package.

            Rose didn't open it. Setting it down on the table, she reached for the remote.

            Cal moved it out of her reach. He handed the box back to her. When she still made no move to open it, he unwrapped it for her.

            "Rose..." he began, searching for the right words. "About what happened this morning...I'm sorry. I went too far."

            Rose didn't say a word. She just stared at him, expressionlessly.

            "Look, Rose. I think we'll both agree that your...behavior...has been inappropriate. I don't want to see you running around with other men, especially this close to the wedding. But, I'll concede that I went a little too far this morning. I never intended for you to wind up here."

            "What did you intend?"

            He looked at her for a moment. "To keep you with me. To keep you at my side. You are my fiancée, Rose. I'm not going to let you go. I only try to keep you in line because I love you. I know I went too far this morning, and I'm sorry. I promise you that it won't happen again."

            Rose looked at him. He seemed sincere, but then, he always seemed sincere. The first time he had slapped her, he had made excuses, then promised her that it wouldn't happen again. But it had, and it had only gotten worse.

            Still, she thought, how much worse could it get than this? Maybe this time he had learned his lesson about hitting her. Maybe she had behaved inappropriately. Maybe, if she paid more attention to him, if she did what he told her to do, he wouldn't feel the need to hit her again. Perhaps, if she slept with him willingly more often, he wouldn't resort to rape.

            He did seem sincere. Maybe this time he really was. What choice did she have, anyway, but to believe him?

            Finally, she nodded. "All right, Cal."

            He opened the box he had brought her. "I intended to give this to you on your birthday next Friday, but I thought that now would be a better time." He handed her the box.

            Rose looked inside. A heart-shaped sapphire surrounded by diamonds hung from a gold chain. She had seen this piece of jewelry in a store window a few weeks earlier, and had expressed admiration. Cal had apparently taken her admiration to heart and bought it for her.

            The pendant had looked beautiful in the store, but now, as the brilliant gems sparkled in the light, Rose wished that she had never seen it. It was pretty, but it didn't mean anything. It was just a sparkling bauble, purchased to decorate a pretty possession.

            Cal took the necklace from the box and fastened it carefully around her neck. "It looks beautiful on you," he told her.

            Rose reached to touch the pendant. It probably would look lovely, she conceded, if only it wasn't displayed against her bruised collarbone.

            Cal watched her reaction. Her eyes were bleak as she reached to touch the necklace. Her hand moved up around her throat, as if she were strangling.

            Recalling that Rose had already managed to break one necklace that he had bought for her, he quickly moved to unclasp it. Carefully replacing it in the box, he told her, "I thought you might wear it at the wedding. It would look beautiful with your wedding gown."

            Thinking about her dress, a low-cut, tightly boned and laced creation that her mother had selected for her, Rose nodded. It would look good.

            Cal took her hand. When Rose tried to pull away, he tightened his grip until she winced. "You know, Rose, there's nothing I couldn't give you. There's nothing I'd deny you, if you would not deny me." Rose just stared at him. "Open your heart to me, Rose."

            Rose was spared from having to reply when the nurse arrived to check on her. "Visiting time is up, Mr. Hockley," the nurse told Cal, gesturing for him to leave. "She needs to get some rest now."

            Cal nodded. Giving Rose a quick kiss on the forehead, he stood to leave, putting the box in his pocket as he did so. "I'll drop this by your house," he told her as he hurried out the door.

            The nurse expressed admiration for the bouquet that Cal had brought Rose, and brought some water to put it in. Rose lay quietly as the nurse bustled around, taking care of things.

            Lost in thought, Rose didn't notice when the nurse left, or when the afternoon sunlight outside began to fade into evening. In less than a week, she thought, she would be nineteen years old. Nineteen, and trapped. She had nothing to look forward to, except a marriage she didn't want, an education that bored her, and a career that held no meaning. In just a few weeks, she would be married, and then she would lose all hope of ever getting away.

            She suddenly wished that Jack were there. He would listen to her, without judging, without interrupting her or warning her to be quiet. He had been a good friend, and Rose was thankful for that. But she realized that she couldn't see him again. Even if they were never anything but friends, Cal would never believe it, and Rose had had enough of Cal's suspicions, and his temper, to last a lifetime.

            Rose sighed, thinking. If only she had met Jack before she met Cal. If only she weren't engaged to Cal. If only her mother wasn't set upon this marriage. If only she had never met Cal.

            Rose shook her head. It didn't do any good to wish for things she couldn't have. She was engaged to Cal. The wedding would take place in a few weeks. Wishing that things were different wouldn't help; it would only make her more miserable. She had to accept things the way they were, and try to make the best of them.


	16. Excuses

Chapter Sixteen

Monday, April 21, 2003

            Ruth brought Rose home the following afternoon. The doctor had declared her well enough to return to college, although he cautioned her to visit the campus health clinic after she returned.

            Rose had little to say to her mother on the way home. She was still angry with Ruth for not staying with her the day before. Ruth, for her part, ignored Rose's sullen silence and chattered on about the upcoming wedding until Rose was ready to scream.

            Rose had never been so happy to return to school. After picking up her books and clothes, she gave her mother a curt farewell and headed back to college.

            Mari was in the dorm room, working on a term paper, when Rose arrived back on campus. She looked up from the computer when Rose entered the room.

            "Rose! We were worried about you!" she exclaimed, turning to look at her roommate. She caught site of Rose's bruised, cut face and gasped. "Madre de Dios! What happened? Did your fiancé beat you up?"

            Rose winced. Mari had an uncanny ability to put her finger on what had really happened. She shook her head.

            "I fell down the stairs and hit my head. That's why I wasn't back last night."

            Mari looked at her skeptically. "Did the stairs suddenly develop fists?"

            "No one hit me!" Rose snapped, irritably. Her head still ached slightly, and Mari's comments weren't helping.

            "Okay." Mari returned to her term paper while Rose put her belongings away and pulled out her calculus textbook.

            Mari turned back around. "So, other than 'falling down the stairs', how was your weekend? How was that wedding you went to?"

            "Fine. It was great. Fabrizio and Helga are going to be very happy together."

            "So, I take it you're looking forward to your wedding then?"

            "Of course I am."

            Mari looked at her skeptically, but didn't comment. "Have you found a house yet?"

            Rose sighed, looking up from her textbook. "Yes. Cal closed the deal on a house about two miles from here on Saturday."

            "Does it have any stairs in it?"

            "No, it's one story—shut up!"

            "I didn't say anything."

            "You implied it!"

            "What did I imply?"

            "That Cal is responsible for me getting hurt."

            "I didn't say that."

            "You implied it."

            "Whatever." Mari returned to her paper. Rose glared at her for a moment.

            Michelle came in, slamming the door behind her. "That little pig is going to get it—what happened to you?" She stopped, staring at Rose.

            "She 'fell down the stairs'," Mari volunteered, ignoring Rose's glare.

            "You fell, or you were pushed?"

            "Can anyone think about anything else?" Rose snapped, slamming her book down on her bed. They both stared at her.

            "We were discussing your wedding," Mari pointed out, "before Michelle came in."

            "Hey, that's right," Michelle said, tossing her backpack down on her bed. "Your wedding is what—June twentieth?"

            "Yes," Rose told her, wishing that everyone would shut up. She didn't want to think about her upcoming wedding, or about Cal.

            "Well, we'll both be there," Mari told her. "To see you enter wedded bliss."

            "Shut up."

            "Oh, come on," Michelle told her. "He'll probably shape up after the wedding, once you are legally joined together."

            "Things are fine already."

            "I hope so," Mari said, clicking on the mouse to save her paper. "You'll both be very happy, I'm sure. Of course, if you're not, you'll have to make the best of it anyway, because you can't divorce unless one of you is committing adultery, and only if the other person wants a divorce. You have to prove it, too, and if you've already got kids, you have to wait until they're grown, so you don't ruin their stable home life."

            "I know the law, Mari," Rose told her, irritably. "Things are going to be just fine."

            "I know they will." Mari started printing her paper. "I just hope there aren't too many staircases for you to fall down."

            "Dammit, Mari, stop implying things!"

            "I'm not implying anything. I just hope you'll be careful around 'staircases'."

            Rose had had enough. "I'm going out," she told them, setting her book aside. Getting to her feet, she added, "I need to visit the campus health clinic, to make sure my head is okay."

            "I'll say," Mari mumbled under her breath, but Rose heard her anyway.

            "Mari, one more word out of you..." She stalked out the door.

            "Watch your step!" Mari called, as Rose slammed the door behind her.

            Mari was right, Rose reflected as she headed down the hall. She didn't want to admit it, but there probably were more "staircases" in her future. Still, Rose thought, things might improve after the wedding. And even if they didn't, perhaps she convince Cal that she could be trusted. Besides, she thought, he had promised not to abuse her anymore, and maybe this time he would keep his promise.


	17. It's Not Up To You To Save Me

Chapter Seventeen

Thursday, April 24, 2003

            Rose trudged wearily up the steps to the library. Glancing over at the railing, she remembered the night she had tried to jump.

            Maybe she should have jumped, Rose reflected, looking down at the now-completed patio far below. None of the events of the past week would have happened if she had.

            Shaking her head, she turned away and went inside. She didn't really want to kill herself, she realized. She just wanted things to be different than they were.

            Hefting her backpack onto one of the study tables, she rummaged through it, looking for her calculus textbook. She had a midterm in the afternoon, and she needed to study.

            Rose had just opened the book when someone tapped her on the shoulder. Looking up, she saw Jack.

            Surprised, she closed the book. "Jack...what are you doing here?"

            "I came to make sure you were okay."

            "What?" Had everyone heard about her 'fall down the stairs'?

            "You usually return my e-mail, and my phone calls, right away. I hadn't heard from you since Saturday, so I came by to see if you were okay. Your roommates said you went to the library to study, so I

came to see if you were here."

            Several students were looking at them disapprovingly; their voices were too loud for the study area.

            "Jack, this is impossible. I can't see you." She stuffed her book in her backpack and started to walk away.

            Jack followed after her, confused. "Rose, what's going on?"

            She glanced around, then slipped between two bookcases loaded with magazines and newspapers.

            "I just thought it best if we didn't see each other any more. Someone might get the wrong impression, and I'm getting married in two months."

            "We're just friends."

            "I know, but some people might think otherwise."

            Jack began to understand what was going on. He looked at the healing cut on her face. "Did he hit you?"

            "No!" Rose answered quickly—too quickly. Jack looked at her skeptically.

            "Rose, you're no picnic...you're a spoiled little brat even, but under that you're a strong, pure heart, and you're the most amazing, astounding girl I've ever known, and—"

            Rose tried to interrupt him. "Jack, I—"

            "Wait. Let me try to get this out. I have nothing to offer you, Rose. I know that. But I'm involved now. I can't turn away without knowing you're going to be okay."

            Rose's hands clenched the straps of her backpack. "Jack, I'm marrying Cal. I love Cal." She looked up at him. "I'll be fine. Really."

            "Will you? I don't think so, Rose. They've got you trapped, and you're going to die if you don't break free. Maybe not right away, because you're strong, but sooner or later that fire I love about you Rose, that fire's gonna burn out."

            "It's not up to you to save me, Jack."

            He looked at her. "I know. Only you can do that." He paused. "Rose, if you ever need to get away from him, if things don't work out, you can always come to me. My home is open to you."

            Rose wanted to throw herself into his arms, to walk away with him and never look back, but she couldn't. Instead, she picked up her backpack and put it on, avoiding his gaze. "Jack, I'm leaving now. Please leave me alone."

            She hurried away, not waiting to see what his reaction would be. If there was to be any hope of her marriage to Cal working out, she had to avoid Jack.

            She didn't have any choice.


	18. Freedom Beckons

Chapter Eighteen

Sunday, May 4, 2003

            Rose stood in front of the mirror in the fitting room of the formal wear shop. Ruth stood behind her, tightening the laces on the back of Rose's wedding dress.

            The dress had been custom made, as specified by Ruth, who insisted that the gown looked beautiful on Rose. It was made of ivory satin, with lace inserts in the skirt and tight boning in the low-cut, sleeveless bodice.

            Rose hated it. It was a nice enough dress, she conceded, but not what she would have chosen for her wedding gown. The skirt barely brushed the floor, while Rose would have preferred a long train. Ruth had insisted that a train was impractical, and would only get in the way. Rose had argued that wedding dresses themselves were impractical, useful only for weddings, but Ruth had been adamant. No train.

            Worse yet was the boning in the top. When laced, the bodice pulled her waist in and emphasized her full figure, but to Rose it felt like an old-fashioned corset, especially after the lacings were pulled as tight as they would go.

            It fit looser now, she conceded, as Ruth pulled the lacings tight. She had had little appetite for the past two weeks, and had lost weight. Ruth had been both exasperated and pleased by this. On the one hand, Rose's gown no longer fit as well as it should have, but on the other hand, Rose's weight was now closer to the ideal.

            Rose stared into the mirror. Her mother had pestered her about her weight for years, but Rose had never listened. She had never been heavier than was medically recommended, so she saw no reason to force

herself to lose weight. She was content with her figure. If she didn't resemble the skinny models idealized by society, or even match her mother's own slender figure, it didn't matter. She had always been pleased with what she saw in the mirror.

            Her mother had pulled the laces until they joined the back edges of the bodice. Only now did the dress fit as it was meant to. Ruth patted her daughter's shoulder and told her that she looked lovely before leaving to find Rose's veil.

            Rose ran her hands over her skirt. She was getting married in six weeks; she should have been happy. But she wasn't.

            A happy bride should have been smiling, planning her big day, looking forward to life with her new husband. Rose dreaded her wedding day.

            She should have been cheerful, radiant with love. Instead, she stood in front of the mirror, staring at the fading bruises on her arms and face—and at a new bruise on her right wrist.

            Cal had promised that he wouldn't abuse her anymore. He had kept that promise for two weeks. Then, this morning, he had grabbed her wrist and twisted it painfully when she had made a remark he disagreed with. When Rose had protested, he had told her that he wasn't hurting her, then slammed her wrist against the doorframe, leaving a painful bruise.

            Ruth returned with the veil and began pinning it into place. Rose watched in the mirror. She did look good in her wedding attire, she thought, except for her unhappy face. Ruth finished pinning the veil in place and stepped back to look at Rose.

            "Yes. This will do quite nicely. You'll make a lovely bride, Rose." She looked at Rose's sad face. "I know this is going to take some adjusting, Rose, but you'll be fine. You're going to have a good life, a good family. I know it's hard, but you'll be glad you did this in the future."

            "Sure, Mom." Rose forced a smile. "Everything's going to be great."

            She started unpinning the veil. Ruth left to get the garment bags and pay for the dress.

            Rose winced as the boning dug into her healing ribs. Her eyes were haunted as she unhooked the front of the bodice and let the gown drop to the floor.

            Stepping out of the dress, Rose quickly hung it up and reached for her other garment—a long, lightweight gauze dress that put no pressure on her healing ribs. Cal had told her that it didn't suit her, but Rose had worn it anyway. It was his fault that her ribs pained her. Besides, she liked the dress.

            Ruth helped Rose put the gown and veil into the bags, and they left the store. It was a warm afternoon. Rose pulled her hair away from her face as the wind whipped it around. A stray cat darted out of their path, leaping onto a nearby car with a yowl. Rose watched it, wondering if her unhappy face had scared it.

            They drove home in silence. Rose fiddled with the radio, trying to avoid conversation. When they reached the house, Rose took the bags from the trunk of the car and hurried inside.

            As she headed for the stairs, she called to Ruth. "I'm going to study for a while, Mom, okay?"

            "Okay, Rose. Just don't use the Internet. I'm doing some research for a new project."

            "Fine, Mom." Rose headed for her room, the bags slung over her shoulder. Ruth worked every chance possible, trying to work her way up as an interior designer. Rose shook her head. Her mother, despite protestations to the contrary, hated her job. She was good at it, though, so she made a decent income. To Ruth, money and prestige were more important than satisfaction with life.

            Rose wondered why her mother felt that way. According to Rose's grandmother, Ruth had once been full of idealism, eager to change the world, to make a mark on it. Now, all Ruth seemed to care about were money and prestige.

            She wondered if her father had had anything to do with it. From what she had heard, Ruth had loved Michael Bukater with a fervor matched only by her desire to change the world. Things hadn't worked out, though.

            The first year of her parents' marriage had been happy, but before long Ruth had grown tired of her husband's lack of ambition in life. She became withdrawn, turning more toward her work than her husband. They had considered divorce, but by that time Rose was on the way, and they had decided to stay together for her sake.

            After Rose was born, things only became worse. Ruth and Michael avoided each other, arguing vociferously whenever they were together. As far as Rose knew, there had never been any physical violence

between them, but they had never gotten along.

            As the years passed, Michael spent more and more time away from his wife and daughter. Ruth told Rose that her father was away on business trips, but by the time Rose was ten, she knew about her father's girlfriends.

            Ruth had been hurt by Michael's infidelity, but she had remained in the marriage, only taking a separate bedroom from her husband. And, Rose reflected, it was a good thing she had. Michael Bukater had

died from AIDS when Rose was sixteen.

            After that, Ruth had thrown herself into her work, concentrating upon advancing her career and making as much money as possible. She wanted for Rose the happiness and opportunities in life that she had never had.

            Rose stared at her book, lying unopened on the desk in front of her. She couldn't concentrate. Sighing, she got to her feet and went over to her window to look outside.

            There wasn't much to see. Despite the pleasantness of the afternoon, few people were outside. One neighbor was grooming his already immaculate lawn, but beyond that there was no one about.

            Rose stared out the window, unseeing, as she thought about her future. Her wedding day was six weeks away, but she already knew that things weren't going to work out. She had had hopes that it would work out, after Cal's promise not to abuse her any more, but after this morning she realized how futile such hopes were. If she married him, she could expect more beatings, more rapes. One day he might go too far and kill her.

            Rose turned away from the window. She couldn't marry Cal, she realized, no matter what the consequences were. But what could she do?

            The close confines of the room were stifling her. Grabbing her purse, Rose hurried out of the room and down the stairs.

            "I'm going out for a while, Mom," she told Ruth, who was sitting in front of her computer, looking at pictures of expensively decorated rooms.

            "Where are you going?"

            Rose thought for a minute. "The library. I need to look something up for a term paper."

            "All right. I'll see you later."

            Rose nodded and headed for the door. Her SUV was parked in the driveway out front. Rose climbed into the vehicle and backed out of the driveway.

            What was she going to do? she wondered, as she drove through the streets of Masline. She neared the library, but didn't pull into the parking lot. Instead, she kept going, driving aimlessly through the city.

            Ruth was serious about her threat to throw Rose out into the streets, she knew. Her mother felt that she had set Rose on the best possible course for life, and would not allow her plans to be thwarted. Whatever she did, she had to do it for herself.

            She could still live in the dorms for a few weeks, Rose realized. Everything was paid for through the end of the quarter. After that...

            She thought about Jack's words. 'My home is open to you.' Had he really meant it, or had he just been saying it?

            She thought about her financial situation. Her share of the rent on the house that Jack and Tommy lived in would be about two hundred dollars a month. She could afford that, if only for a short time. The internship had ended in March, but Rose had saved most of the money she had earned. She had also gained the skills for finding another job.

            A new job could be difficult to find in Masline, she admitted. Cal was now CEO of both Titan Construction and Sunpeak. He would never let her take a job at either place if she broke off the engagement. But Titan Construction and Sunpeak weren't the only businesses in the area, and Masline wasn't the only city around. If she couldn't find work in Masline, she could always look for a job in Southland, or any other city in the area.

            Her thoughts turned back to Jack. Even if he was serious about offering her a place to stay, he might have given up on her by now. She hadn't heard from him since that Thursday morning.

            Rose wondered what he would think if she suddenly showed up at his door. Would he be pleased, or would he tell her to leave? She hadn't been very nice to him the last time she had seen him, she thought.

            But she could only try.

            Rose pulled to a stop at red light. Waiting for the light to change, she contemplated visiting him. It wasn't just that he could help her get back on her feet, she realized. She wanted to see him because she loved him.

            Loved? she thought suddenly, as the light turned green. As she drove through the intersection, she berated herself for thinking that. He had never said anything to her about love, except for when he had said that the fire he loved about her was going to burn out. Still, Rose realized that that was what she felt.

            She looked around her, realizing that she had unconsciously made her way toward Jack's neighborhood. She thought about leaving, but shook her head. She wanted to see him. Whether he shared her feelings or not, she still wanted to see him.

            She didn't have to say anything about how she felt, she reasoned, as she drove up the street. He might not even want to see her, but she could still try. And, she thought, even if he wanted nothing to do with her, it wouldn't change her mind about her marriage to Cal. She would prefer to live in the riverbed with the other homeless people, than live with Cal. At least if she was homeless, she would be so of her own free will.


	19. I Changed My Mind

Chapter Nineteen

            Rose parked her vehicle across the street from the house. Climbing out, she approached the driveway. Tommy was there, working on his clunky old car.

            He turned when he heard her footsteps. Wiping the grease off his hands with an old T-shirt, he watched her approach.

            "Is Jack around?" Rose asked him, one hand clutching her skirt nervously.

            "He went out walking, probably up to the hills," Tommy told her, tossing aside the grease rag.

            "Where in the hills might he be?" The old housing development was at the edge of the hills that surrounded the Masline Valley. The hills went on for miles before flattening out toward Southland.

            "You know that street about two blocks from here, the one that ends in a dirt road?"

            Rose nodded. She had walked down there a few times with Helga, Trudy, and Sophie, to visit the spring at the end of the street.

            "After a while it turns into a dirtbike path. After that it branches off in two directions. Go left. The trail winds around to the top of the hills. He likes to go up there and work on his art. Says it inspires him."

            "Okay. Thanks." Rose turned toward the street.

            Tommy stopped her. "What did you do to him?"

            "What do you mean?"

            "He went to visit you at college and came home acting like his best friend had died. He keeps saying everything's fine, but then he sits there staring at his portfolio for hours on end. He starts drawing something, usually something that looks like you, but then he crumples it up and tosses it out, saying it's not good enough. I asked him what was going on, but he just said it didn't matter."

            Rose immediately felt guilty. She could have rebuffed him a little more politely, she realized. "We...got into an argument," she told him.

            "I'll say. I've never seen anyone so hung up on a girl before. Except maybe Fabrizio with Helga. But he married her."

            Rose looked down the street. "Well, I'm going to see if I can find him." She glanced at her SUV, then decided to walk the whole way. It would calm her nerves.

            One of the kids at the house across the street shouted a greeting in Spanish. Rose called back, preoccupied. Would Jack want to see her, after the way she'd treated him?

            She made her way down to the end of the dirt road. A dog ran out of its yard, barking ferociously, then dove back under the fence and cowered. Rose watched it, absently. The animals were acting very strange today.

            Putting the dog out of her mind, Rose climbed the dirtbike trail. In the distance, a few kids rode around on a branching trail, but none blocked her path. She kept climbing.

            When the trail forked off, Rose followed it to the left. Her heart was pounding nervously. Halfway up, she stopped to dump the sand and dirt out of her shoes, admitting to herself that the ballet slippers she had worn to church probably weren't the best hiking shoes.

            She finally found him. Jack was sitting on a rock at the top of the hill, his portfolio in his lap. It was open, but he wasn't drawing anything; he just looked out at the horizon, lost in thought.

            Rose approached him slowly. "Hello, Jack," she said, walking up behind him.

            He turned, startled. "Rose!" he exclaimed, surprised that she had followed him up here.

            "I changed my mind. Tommy said you might be up here..."

            She broke off as Jack got to his feet. "Come here. I want to show you something."

            "What is it?"

            "Just...come here. Now, close your eyes."

            Rose wondered what was going on, but did as he asked.

            "Now, put your foot on this rock here. Don't worry, it's stable."

            She stepped up onto the rock at the edge of the cliff. Shakily, she grabbed Jack's hand, wondering what was going on.

            "Do you trust me?"

            She smiled, knowing the answer. "I trust you."

            He stepped up behind her, one foot on the ground to steady them. Lifting her arms, he told her, "Now, open your eyes."

            Rose opened her eyes, and immediately realized why Jack found this place inspirational. The valley spread out below her, green-gold in the May sunlight. Just below them, a rabbit leapt from its brush cover, then dove into another hiding place. The green grass rippled in the wind like waves on the ocean. Farther away, the buildings of the town spread out, ranging from the old brick buildings in the downtown area to the identical pink-roofed housing developments on the other side. Small cars zipped along the freeway, sparkling in the late afternoon sunlight.

            Rose threw her head back and laughed. "I'm flying, Jack! I'm flying!"

            Jack laughed with her, then sang softly in her ear, "Come Josephine in my flying machine..."

            Rose smiled, remembering the familiar childhood song. "And it's up she goes, up she goes..."

            Jack broke off, but Rose kept singing. "Balance yourself like a bird on a beam. In the air she goes. There she goes. Up, up, a little bit higher. Oh, my, the moon is on fire..."

            She stopped singing as she turned to face him. Their faces were only inches apart. Rose's heart pounded as she looked at him.

            Then their lips met. Rose threw her arms around him, pressing herself closer as the kiss deepened. She hadn't felt so content, or so safe, in a long time.

            How long they stood that way, Rose wasn't sure. When at last they broke apart, Jack stepped back and reached for his portfolio. Rose started to follow him, but he stopped her.

            "Wait! Stay there!"

            He opened the folder, pulling out a fresh sheet of paper. "Put your arms out, like you were flying. Now, look at me. Keep your eyes on me."

            Rose held her arms up, balancing on the rock. The breeze tossed her hair around her face, and her skirt billowed in the wind.

            Jack pulled out a pencil and began to sketch her, trying to capture the smile on her face, the way the sunlight glinted off her hair.

            The sun was low in the sky before the drawing was complete. Rose stepped off the rock, coming closer to view the picture.

            She could hardly believe it was her. The woman in the picture was smiling, her face highlighted by the sun. The haunted look was gone from her eyes.

            "Thank you, Jack," she whispered. He started to hand the drawing to her, then changed his mind, deciding to hold onto it until they got to the bottom of the hill.

            Rose pulled him to his feet, laughing. A moment later, they embraced again, kissing.

            It was Jack who ended the kiss. "I hate to say this, Rose, but we'd better go back down. It's starting to get dark."

            Rose nodded reluctantly. He was right. They couldn't stay out there all night.

            They started back down the hill. The shadows were lengthening, and the wind was growing stronger. A coyote darted out of their path, dashing into the brush. Impulsively, Jack grabbed Rose's hand. "Race you!"

            Laughing, Rose ran after him. Her slippered feet slid several times on the rocky trail, but she kept up with him. When they came to the paved street, they stopped, laughing and out of breath.

            Rose sat down on the curb and dumped the dirt and sand from her shoes. She could see by the streetlights that they were definitely the worse for wear, but she didn't care. Slipping them back on, she got to her feet and followed Jack up the street.


	20. A Wrenching Confession

Chapter Twenty

            No one was home when they returned to the house. Tommy's car was gone from the driveway, and the house was locked. As Jack searched through his pockets for the keys, Rose thought about what had transpired between them. Looking at her hands, she realized she was still wearing her engagement ring.

            Jack found the keys and opened the door. Looking back at her, he asked, "You want to come in?"

            Rose nodded. As she stepped through the door, she pulled the ring from her finger, and dropped it into her purse. She would return it to Cal later.

            Jack watched her in surprise. After all her protestations to the contrary, she was breaking her engagement.

            Rose saw his look and smiled. "When the quarter ends, I'm moving in with you."

            "This is crazy."

            She laughed. "I know. It doesn't make any sense. That's why I trust it."

            He kissed her, then gave her the drawing he had made. Rose set it carefully on the table. When Jack headed towards his room to put the portfolio away, Rose followed him.

            Jack looked up in surprise when Rose stepped into the room and closed the door behind her. "Rose?"

            She didn't say anything. No words were necessary.

            A moment later she was in his arms. Their kisses became deeper, more passionate—until Jack put too much pressure on Rose's injured ribs. With a yelp of pain, she pulled away.

            "What's wrong?" he asked, concerned.

            Rose was holding her side. "I...have a couple of cracked ribs."

            "How did that happen?"

            Rose hesitated. She didn't want to talk about being beaten. Then steeling herself, she told him, "Cal beat me."

            He nodded. "When did this happen?"

            "Two weeks ago—the day after Fabrizio's and Helga's wedding."

            Jack shook his head, wondering what had possessed Cal to beat Rose so hard that her bones broke.

            "Why did he hit you?"

            Rose sat down on the bed, still holding her side. "We got into an argument...he'd been spying on me. He thought there was something going on between us. He slapped me, and then accused me of sleeping with you. I jumped up and started arguing, and then he punched me in the face."

            "Is that where that cut came from?"

            Rose nodded, feeling tears start to well up. She swiped her hand across her eyes, then continued. "I ran, and he grabbed me and started hitting me...then he threw me on the floor. I hit my head on the table when I fell. While I was lying there he kicked me in the side, and then..."

            She trailed off. She couldn't tell anyone what had happened next, not even Jack.

            Jack knew that she was hiding something. Her hands were clenched, the nails digging into the palms of her hands. "What happened, Rose? What did he do to you?"

            She shook her head, tears streaming down her face. Finally, barely audibly, she spoke. "He raped me."

            Jack had suspected as much. "Rose..." He held out his arms to her.

            Rose threw her arms around him. Sobbing, she buried her head in his shoulder.

            "I told him no...I begged him to stop...I even tried to scratch his face...but he wouldn't stop. I felt so ashamed, wondering what I could have done to prevent it from happening. If I hadn't defied him...if I had been more obedient...if I had slept with him more often, maybe it wouldn't have happened."

            "Rose, listen to yourself. You're blaming the wrong person. It was his crime, not yours."

            She shook her head. "I should have known better than to defy him."

            "You had no way of knowing—"

            "I knew that he had a temper—he'd slapped me enough times before. I should have realized that things would get worse."

            "Had he ever done something like this before?"

            "No..."

            "Then you couldn't have known."

            She wanted to believe him. "I..."

            "Have you thought about pressing charges against him?"

            "I can't."

            He looked at her in astonishment. "Why?"

            "Cal is a very prominent businessman. If I pressed charges, his name—and mine—would be all over the newspapers. I couldn't stand that kind of humiliation. Besides, even if I did press charges, I doubt I'd win. He can afford the best lawyers. I can't. And I already know what they'd say. They'd say I was just pressing charges to get back at him for something, and that I couldn't really have been raped—after all, I'd slept with him before willingly. I'd go through all that for nothing. He'd go free."

            Jack had to concede that she was probably right. Then something else occurred to him.

            "Are you afraid you might be pregnant?"

            Rose shook her head. "That's something I can be sure didn't happen. I've been taking birth control pills since I got engaged. I'm sure I'm not pregnant."

            She sniffled, wiping her eyes. She hadn't wanted to tell what had happened, but now that she had, she felt as though a great weight had been lifted.

            Jack was watching her, sympathetically. "Thank you for listening, Jack." Then she glanced at his T-shirt. "Oh, Jack, I'm sorry. I've got makeup all over your shirt."

            He looked at his shoulder. "It's okay. It'll wash." He stood, holding out a hand to help her to her feet.

            Rose shook her head. "No."

            He looked at her, surprised.

            "I want to do this, Jack." She pulled him back down beside her.

            "Rose...are you sure?"

            "Yes." She pulled him closer. "Put your hands on me, Jack."


	21. It's Over, Cal

Chapter Twenty-One

            Rose lay in Jack's arms, feeling his heartbeat and breathing return to normal. She relaxed, snuggling against him.

            "You okay?" he asked her, brushing a strand of hair out of her eyes.

            "Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine." She kissed him, running a hand over his back. He moved to the side, pulling her with him.

            They lay that way for about twenty minutes, until they heard the front door open.

            "Hey, Jack, you left the front door unlocked—" They sat up, Rose pulling the sheet up over her, just as Tommy opened the door. He stopped in mid-sentence when he saw Rose. "Uh—excuse me. Sorry." He quickly stepped back into the hall, closing the door.

            Jack looked at Rose. She was laughing, the sheet still clutched in front of her. "Poor Tommy. I don't think he expected to see that."

            He laughed, too. "We'd better get dressed."

            A few minutes later they walked back into the kitchen. Tommy was rummaging through the refrigerator, trying to avoid looking at them.

            "Hey, Tommy. We're gonna go out and get something to eat—you wanna come along?" Jack inquired, trying not to laugh.

            "Uh, no. You guys go ahead. I'll catch you later."

            Jack shrugged, picking up the drawing off the table. "Okay."

            He and Rose headed out the door. As soon as the door was closed, they both started laughing.

            "Did you see the look on his face?" Jack asked her, leaning against the wall.

            Rose was laughing too hard to reply. She grabbed his hand and pulled him down the driveway.

            "My car, or yours?" he asked her.

            She thought for a minute. "Let's take my car. I'll drop you off here later."

            As she started the engine, he asked her, "When are you going to tell Cal?"

            She hesitated. "I don't know. Soon."

            "He won't be happy."

            Rose nodded. That was an understatement. She thought of the way he had reacted when he had even suspected that there was someone else. He enjoyed controlling her, treating her like a possession. She didn't even want to think about what his reaction to her breaking the engagement would be.

            "I think I'll try to tell him in a public place, where he can't beat me up or anything. I'll be seeing him next Saturday; I think I'll return the ring to him then."

            "Why don't you just call him and tell him?"

            "I think I should return the ring to him. Since we're no longer engaged, I shouldn't keep it."

            "Be careful."

            "Don't worry, I will be."

            They had reached the nearest fast food restaurant, El Pollo Loco. Rose parked the SUV, and they went inside.

            Rose was surprised at how hungry she was. Her appetite had improved with her mood. Jack laughed as he watched her devour her dinner.

            "You act like you haven't eaten in days."

            Rose smiled around a mouthful of rice. It was almost the truth.

            Her smile faded when she glanced toward the door and saw Cal walk in.

            Jack turned to see who she was staring at. Cal noticed them and came over to their table.

            "Rose, what are you doing here?" he asked in a low voice.

            Rose looked at him, her heart pounding nervously. She was determined not to back down from him this time.

            "Eating dinner. What are you doing here?"

            "Your mother was worried about you. She said you left to visit the library early this afternoon and didn't come back. She called to find out if I had seen you. Since I hadn't, I went looking for you. Now, the question is, why are you with him? I told you to stay away from him." Cal didn't bother to acknowledge Jack.

            Rose took a deep breath. Now was as good a time as any. "Cal, can I speak to you outside for a minute?"

            He looked ready to explode, but only nodded. Rose grabbed her purse and slid from her seat. "I'll be back in a minute," she told Jack.

            Incensed, Cal grabbed her elbow and started to pull her toward the door, but Rose yanked her arm free and strode ahead of him.

            There was a bench just outside the door. Cal tried to lead Rose in the direction of his car, but Rose refused.

            "Either we talk here, or we don't talk at all," she told him, sitting down on the bench.

            Exasperated, Cal sat down beside her. "What's going on? What are you doing with him?"

            Rose pulled the ring from her purse. "It's over, Cal," she told him, placing the ring in his hand. "I won't marry you."

            Cal was shocked. He had never expected this.

            "It's him, isn't it? You've fallen for that...that piece of trash. He's not even fit to look at you."

            Rose's face reddened angrily at his words, but she kept her temper. "It would be over even if I had never seen him. I will not spend my life with a man who would abuse me." She rubbed her bruised wrist. "You promised to stop, but you didn't. I don't wish to see you again."

            "And what about your education? Have you come up with some way to pay for it on your own? Or has your mother suddenly changed her mind?"

            "I'm going to switch to community college, like I wanted to do in the first place. I am going to try to find a job, and I am leaving my mother's house."

            "Where are you going live? I somehow doubt you can afford the rent on most places. At least not most decent places."

            "I'm moving in with Jack. There will be three people in the house, so the rent will only be about two hundred dollars a month. Even I can afford that, at least for a while."

            "If you find a job. You won't be working for Sunpeak or for Titan Construction, I can assure you."

            "Those aren't the only businesses around. And, quite frankly, Cal, your influence isn't that great. You may have control in those companies, but not the rest of the world, no matter how much you'd like to think so."

            "So you're moving in with Jack Dawson. He'll probably get you pregnant, then throw you out or disappear."

            Rose just looked at him, feeling strangely detached. Cal's opinion no longer meant anything to her, she realized.

            He swore under his breath. "Fine. Go to him. I should have known you were nothing but a little slut." He put the ring in his pocket.

            "Believe what you want, Cal. I don't care anymore." She went back inside.

            "God dammit, Rose!" he swore to himself. Despite his words, he wasn't ready to give her up. Not without a fight.

            Cal stood outside the door, watching them, until they got up to leave. Holding the ring carefully, he waited for them.

            He had an idea.


	22. You Know I Didn't Do This!

Chapter Twenty-Two

            Jack and Rose walked out of the restaurant, talking and laughing. They didn't notice Cal standing right in front of the door until Jack ran into him.

            "Why don't you watch where you're going?" Cal snapped at Jack. As he spoke, he slipped the ring into Jack's jacket pocket.

            "Why don't you?" Jack would have said more, but Rose tugged on his hand, wanting to avoid a confrontation.

            Cal waited a moment, then followed them. "Just a minute!"

            Rose turned to glare at him. "What?"

            "Your new boyfriend is a pickpocket. I had the ring a moment ago, but after he bumped into me, it was gone."

            Rose looked startled, but quickly covered her expression. "You probably dropped it in the gutter, Cal."

            He looked at her. "You'd know all about the gutter, wouldn't you, Rose?"

            Jack turned on him. "I think you've said enough."

            A moment later, Cal was lying in the parking lot, blood running from his nose. He ran his hand over his face, looking at the blood on his fingers, as he got to his feet.

            Rose tugged at Jack's arm. "Let's get out of here."

            He pushed her out of the way as Cal took a swing at him. Jack hit him back, and the fight was on. Rose screamed at them to stop as a crowd gathered. A police car came up the street and pulled into the parking lot.

            Two cops emerged. Pushing their way through the crowd, they broke up the fight. Yanking the combatants apart, they restrained them.

            "What is going on here?"

            The crowd had started to disperse. Cal answered first, speaking around a split lip.

            "He stole my fiancée's engagement ring."

            Jack responded. "No, I didn't. You probably lost it. And she's not your fiancée anymore."

            Rose cut in. "Cal, this is absurd. What are you talking about?"

            "He's a thief, Rose, and you know it."

            "Cal—"

            Jack interrupted the argument. "I did not take that ring. You can check my pockets if you don't believe me." He shrugged off his jacket, handing it to one of the cops.

            The cop looked through the pockets, pulling out the ring.

            Rose was stunned. So was Jack. He stared at the ring in disbelief for a moment.

            "This is horseshit! He put it in my pocket! Don't you believe it, Rose! Don't!"

            But he could see by the expression on her face that she did believe it. He cursed himself, wishing he had never told her about his past. One of the cops snapped a pair of handcuffs on him, and dragged him in the direction of the car. Jack shouted to Rose.

            "Rose! You know I didn't do this, Rose! You know me!"

            Rose stared after him in stunned disbelief, her mind racing. Why had he done it? Had he been waiting for an opportunity to steal from her? It wasn't the ring that she cared about; it was the feeling of betrayal. She had given him her love, shared her deepest secret with him, and he had repaid her by stealing from her. Or rather, from Cal, but it amounted to the same thing.

            Then another thought entered her mind. What if he was telling the truth? What if Cal had framed him? Why had he offered to let them check his pockets if he knew the ring was there?

            She shook her head. Maybe he had hoped that they wouldn't check; that his offering to let them check would convince them that he was innocent.

            Rose dug into her purse, pulling out her car keys. Numbly, she walked over to the SUV, her mind still whirling. Why had he waited until now to steal from her? He had had plenty of opportunities before. Maybe he had thought it was okay to steal from Cal, but not from her. The thought gave her little comfort.

            What if he was telling the truth? Rose considered this for a minute, then shook her head. All the evidence was there; he was guilty. There was no reason why Cal would have framed him; it was Rose he was upset with, not Jack.

            Rose unlocked the door, berating herself. You're such an idiot, she thought. How could you have been so stupid? You get engaged to a man who abuses you, then you fall in love with one who would steal you blind. Had any other woman ever been so stupid?

            As she opened the door, Cal walked up to her. She looked at him blankly, wondering what he was doing there.

            He stared at her for a minute, then slapped her across the face. Rose stumbled back, her hand flying to her stinging cheek. No amount of physical pain could compare to the blow her heart had been given.

            Cal grabbed her arm and yanked her away from the vehicle. Rose pulled her arm free, suddenly remembering her vow to leave him. He pushed her against the side of the SUV.

            "Look, Rose. I understand that you're young and naive. You made a mistake. I'm willing to forgive you." He held the ring out to her. "Just put this back on, and we'll forget any of this ever happened."

            Rose stared at him. Did he really believe what he was saying? The utter absurdity of everything hit her, and she felt hysterical laughter rising up inside her.

            Cal looked at her strangely, startled by her sudden hilarity. "What could possibly be funny?"

            Rose pulled away from him, trying to stifle her hysterical laughter. "You. _You want to forgive __me? I'm the one who should be forgiving you." Her laughter ended as quickly as it had begun, replaced by anger. "You've controlled my life, you've beaten me, you've even raped me—and __you want to forgive __me? I hate you. Take your ring. I don't care what you do with it—but I'm not wearing it again. I never want to see you again."_

            She climbed into the vehicle. Noticing the drawing Jack had made of her lying on the seat, she tossed it into the back.

            Cal watched her, noticing how her hands shook as she tossed the picture away. He had seen the drawing earlier when he was looking for her.

            "It isn't over, Rose."

            "Oh, yes, it is." She tried to put the key in the ignition, but her shaking hands wouldn't allow it. Angrily, she tossed the keys in her purse, knowing that it wasn't safe for her to drive when she was so upset.

            She started to climb out of the vehicle, intending to go inside the restaurant until she had calmed down a little.

            Rose was startled when the SUV seemed to shift under her feet, throwing her to the ground. With difficulty, she got to her feet, wondering what was going on, until she realized that the whole world was shaking along with her.


	23. You Unimaginable Bastard

Chapter Twenty-Three

            Earthquake! Rose had felt numerous quakes in her life—she had been born and raised in Southern California—but never one of this magnitude. They seemed to be at the epicenter.

            Across the parking lot, a vehicle bounced, its weight no match for the shaking earth. It rolled over, then came to a stop upside down. The restaurant seemed to withstand the shaking for an instant, then caved in. A few people had managed to escape in time, but others weren't so lucky. Screams for help came from the rubble.

            A cracking sound issued from the earth. Rose watched in shock as a crevice opened, dividing the parking lot in two and coming straight toward her.

            Cal grabbed her arm and pulled her out of the way. "Move!" he shouted, as the ground opened where she had been standing a moment before. The SUV teetered on the edge of the crack, then fell in, the windows shattering.

            The ground dropped out from under them, then flew back up. Rose and Cal fell to the ground, narrowly avoiding being crushed beneath a falling streetlight.

            Then, as abruptly as it had begun, it was over. The earthquake had lasted just under two minutes. Nearby, a car radio still sounded, the deejay trying to sound calm, but succeeding only in raising more panic from listeners.

            "Preliminary reports set the earthquake at about a 9.1 on the Richter scale..."

            Rose got to her feet, her hands shaking. Cal was beside her, looking around. "My God..." he whispered, taking in the destruction.

            Half of the buildings on the street had caved in. Others leaned at odd angles. Two buildings across the street leaned against each other, held up only by a few solid beams.

            The crevice that had nearly swallowed Rose extended to the far side of the parking lot, ending just before it reached the street. The sidewalk was broken, chunks of concrete lying everywhere. A water main had burst, flooding the street. Light poles sat at odd angles, or lay on the ground, some of the lights still glowing in the darkness.

            The ground quivered again, in an aftershock. A muffled explosion could be heard from the other side of town. Moments later, flames began to rise into the air, spreading rapidly through the blocks of wooden buildings to the west.

            Cal looked around. Rose's vehicle was half crushed in the crevice—totally useless. Grabbing her hand, he pulled her around the caved-in restaurant to his car, only to find that it had been smashed by a fallen light pole.

            Rose yanked her hand free and ran toward the restaurant. People inside the building were still calling for help, begging someone to get them out.

            Cal went after her. "What are you doing?"

            "I'm trying to help those people," she told him, hurrying toward the rubble.

            "That's not your responsibility, Rose," he told her, dragging her away from the destruction.

            "I'm here, I saw it, that makes it my responsibility," she responded, trying to break free.

            "It's too dangerous!"

            "People are going to die in there!"

            "They were in the wrong place at the wrong time. No one told them to be in there at this hour."

            Rose stared at him, mouth agape, unable to believe what she was hearing. "It was still open. People had every right to be inside. If I had been inside, I could be dead."

            "Maybe people will be more careful where they go after this."

            Rose stared at him, confused. "It's an earthquake. No one can predict when and where they will strike." A thought occurred to her. "Wasn't Titan Construction responsible for building this shopping center?"

            He didn't answer her. Prying open the driver's side door of his car, he pulled a few items from the glove compartment. She watched him pull something from under the seat and slip it into his jacket pocket, but didn't see what it was.

            "Titan Construction was responsible!" she exclaimed, stepping back from him. "You advertise your buildings as being able to resist a 10.0 earthquake. This one collapsed at 9.1..."

            He wasn't listening to her. Pulling out his cell phone, he began to punch in a number.

            "What are you doing?" she asked, trying to see.

            "Calling your mother, or weren't you worried about her? She may be able to give us a ride out of here."

            Rose half-listened to the call, her mind elsewhere. She heard Cal reassure her mother that they were fine, and tell her where they were. He finally turned off the cell phone.

            "Your mother is fine. A few tiles fell off the roof, a window broke, and some items fell down in your house. Otherwise, everything is fine. She'll be here to pick us up in a few minutes."

            Rose was relieved to hear that her mother was well, but she had other things on her mind.

            "What did the company do, Cal? Cut corners? Bribe building inspectors? Maybe the reason you don't want me helping is because I might find and recognize evidence. I did work for you for a while."

            "Sometimes, Rose, a few corners have to be cut to keep a business profitable."

            "At the cost of people's lives?"

            "There was no reason to believe that an earthquake would occur."

            "No reason to believe—Cal! We're in California! The earthquake capital of the United States! Any fool could see that an earthquake was likely to occur!"

            He turned to her, his mouth twitching angrily. She knew that she had struck a nerve. Cal had been responsible for many of the decisions made by the company in recent years.

            Something else occurred to her. Looking in the direction of the flames, which were moving inexorably closer, she realized that the greatest damage was in the section of town that had been built with low-income renters in mind. Titan Construction had been responsible for that, too.

            "You couldn't have cared less, could you? All that matters is profits, and your big bonus. It doesn't matter who you hurt, as long as the company benefits!"

            Cal moved toward her, his hand raised to slap her, when he noticed Ruth's car slowly coming down the street, avoiding debris and broken sections. He put his hand down and gestured to her. They moved in the direction of the street, picking their way around the crevice and piles of rubble.

            "What are you planning to do, Rose? Become a whistle-blower?"

            "Yes."

            They had nearly reached the street. Ruth pulled over and opened the door, stepping out.

            Cal spoke to Rose in a low voice. "You'll be ruining your career before it's even begun."

            Rose looked at him. "You know something, Cal? I don't care. I care more about people than profits, something you could never understand!"

            He ignored her last comment. Ruth came toward them.

            "Thank God you two are okay! Rose, I was worried when you didn't come back this afternoon."

            "I know, Mom. I'm sorry."

            "Well, let's go. The phone lines are still working at home, so I need to try and call my clients to see what kind of damage has been done. Hopefully I'll be able to reach the insurance company, too. I hope it doesn't take too long to get those tiles fixed on the roof." She paused, thinking, then turned to Cal. "This quake could be good for business. A lot of earthquake damaged homes will need rebuilding, and redecorating."

            Cal nodded in agreement. "Titan Construction may call on you, Ruth. With so much damage, and the fire, there could be some major contracts up for grabs."

            Rose gaped at them in shock. Buildings were in ruin, a fire was raging, people were dying—and they saw it as a business opportunity.

            When Ruth began to speak again, Rose couldn't keep silent any longer.

            "Oh, Mother, shut up!"

            Ruth turned to her, shocked that Rose would speak to her that way. She opened her mouth to speak, but Rose wouldn't let her get a word in edgewise.

            "Don't you understand? All of these shoddily constructed buildings are in ruins. The fire is going to destroy the buildings that haven't collapsed. Half the people in this town are going to be left homeless—or worse."

            Cal had been listening. "Not the better half."

            Something in his tone made Rose look up. He was looking in the direction of the flames, an almost pleased look on his face. Rose suddenly remembered what else was in the path of the flames—the brick buildings of the old section of town—and the city jail.

            Rose's suspicions about Cal's role in Jack's arrest suddenly came to the forefront. She stared at him, not wanting to believe it. No one could be that bad. Even Cal wouldn't frame someone and leave them to die.

            But Cal's next words confirmed her suspicions. "You know, it's a pity you didn't keep that drawing. It'll be worth a lot more by morning."

            Rose's mouth dropped open. "You unimaginable bastard."

            He just looked at her patronizingly. Ruth called to her.

            "Get in the car, Rose."

            Rose stared at her, as though seeing her for the first time. She backed away a few steps.

            "Rose, get in the car."

            Rose shook her head. "Good-bye, Mother." She turned and walked away.

            Ruth shouted after her. "Rose! Come back here! Rose!"

            Cal ran after her, grabbing her arm and whirling her around. "What are you doing? Are you crazy? You're going to him—to be a whore to that gutter rat!"

            Rose yanked at her arm, trying to get away. "I'd rather be his whore than your wife! Now let go of me!"

            Cal grabbed her other arm and began pulling her in the direction of the car. "No!" he shouted, as she tried to pull away. "I said no!"

            Rose suddenly came toward him. He stepped back, surprised. Too late, he realized the danger.

            Rose's knee slammed into his groin. He doubled over in agony, letting go of her. Rose turned and ran, darting across the flooded street and into the shadows, headed downtown.

            Ruth still shouted after Rose. "Rose! Wait! Come back here! Rose!"

            A police officer approached her car. "Ma'am, you're going to have to leave. We're evacuating this area."

            Ruth shook her head. "Wait! My daughter—"

            "I'll go after her, Ruth." Cal walked up to the car, moving carefully, still in pain. "You get out of here."

            Ruth paused, uncertain. "Cal...she's probably scared. I don't know why she ran off, but just remember that people do strange things when they're frightened. Don't be too rough on her."

            "It'll be fine, Ruth," Cal assured her, looking in the direction Rose had gone. "Now, you'd better get going. We'll meet you later."

            "Okay. Be careful." Ruth started the car and drove away, heading back toward her own neighborhood.

            Cal looked back in the direction of the flames, then started walking.


	24. Rescue

Chapter Twenty-Four

            Rose rushed through the streets, dodging people and debris. The sidewalk was broken in sections, uneven chunks of concrete scattered about. The smell of smoke grew stronger as she headed downtown, avoiding the press of people coming the other way. Most were trying to leave the area.

            She darted around a corner, into the old section of town. It was largely deserted, most people having left the area hours earlier. Only the jail was in operation at this hour.

            Rose looked around, horrified at the destruction. The brick buildings, never meant to stand up to an earthquake, were in ruins. One building had tipped over, burying the courtyard beside it in bricks. Only two of the buildings were still standing—an ancient brick smokehouse that had been turned in recent years to storage space, and the city jail.

            She approached the building cautiously. Part of it had caved in, but the section that held the jail cells was mostly intact. She prayed that that was where Jack was.

            The doorway was partially blocked by fallen bricks and masonry, but Rose managed to slip inside. Part of the ceiling had caved in, so she proceeded cautiously.

            There was little light in the building—one light bulb still glowed dimly, and a shattered window let in light from the approaching fire. She would have to hurry.

            Slipping carefully into the corridor that housed the jail cells, she shouted to him.

            "Jack!" she called, stumbling over fallen bricks. "Jack!"

            At the end of the corridor, he heard her calling and responded.

            "Rose! I'm in here!" He was in the last jail cell at the end of the corridor.

            When they had first brought him in, he had been mostly worried about being convicted of theft again. It could be his second felony conviction, and with the three strikes law, any trouble after that—even writing a bad check—could land him in prison for decades. Then the earthquake had struck, and as the building shook and collapsed in places, and the smell of smoke had risen from the fire several blocks away, he had realized that he had worse things to worry about than a prison sentence.

            He was the only prisoner in the jail this night, and the guard had fallen under a chunk of broken ceiling. No one could let him out. A crack had appeared in the wall behind him, but it was too narrow and the wall too strong for him to escape through. He had tried the door, but it was still securely locked. He couldn't get out.

            He heard Rose coming down the corridor. Pieces of debris hit the wall as her feet sent them flying. He saw her shadow approaching long before he saw her.

            "Careful, Rose," he called to her. "The ceiling could cave in." Only the heavy steel bars of his jail cell had kept the roof from caving in over him.

            Rose reached his jail cell. Stumbling over a piece of plaster, she grabbed the bars. "Jack! I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

            "Cal put the ring in my pocket."

            "I know he did."

            He kissed her through the bars. "Rose, you're going to have to get the keys."

            "Where are they?"

            "The guard has them." He pointed in the direction of the desk on the other side of the hall, where a work area had replaced one of the cells.

            Rose turned to look, and gasped, horrified. The guard was crushed under a piece of fallen masonry. One of his hands was flung out across the desk, as though beckoning to them.

            Cautiously, she approached him. As she did so, he moaned, his hand moving slightly. He was still alive.

            Rose came up to him. He looked at her pleadingly, begging her to help him. Rose looked at him, not knowing what to do. She held out her hand in a comforting motion, trying to reassure him.

            As she moved toward him, the guard gave one last gasp and died. Rose stared at him, stunned and shaken. She had never watched anyone die before.

            She stumbled backward, wanting to run. Only hours earlier, this man had been alive and well, and now he was dead.

            Jack's voice stopped her. "Rose..."

            She turned to look at him. "He's dead," she choked out, her voice high-pitched. "I couldn't do anything at all..." Forgetting the keys, she hurried back to Jack, throwing her arms around him through the bars.

            Jack put his arms around her. She was shaking, shocked by what she had seen.

            The ground rumbled in another aftershock, sending another section of the ceiling caving in toward the other end of the corridor. The smell of smoke was stronger.

            Rose remembered what she needed to do. Pulling away from Jack, she hurried back to the guard. Trying to avoid looking at his face, she found the keys clipped to his belt. Grabbing them, she rushed back to

the jail cell.

            "Which one is it?"

            "It was a silver one."

            Rose held the keys up in the dim light. There were three silver keys.

            Taking the first key, Rose tried to insert it into the lock. It didn't fit. Telling herself not to panic, she tried the second one.

            "Rose." She looked up as Jack spoke her name. "How did you find out I didn't do it?"

            "I didn't. I just realized I already knew." She found the third key, hoping that this one would work.

            It did. Rose turned the key in the lock, hearing the click as it opened. Dropping the keys, she and Jack tried to open the door, to no avail. The ceiling had split just above the door, jamming it shut.

            "Oh, no!" Rose tugged at the door, sending a shower of plaster to the floor. The door refused to budge.

            "Okay, Rose. You're going to have to find something to pry the door open with. Look around; there might be something in here that will do that."

            Rose nodded, already scanning the corridor. She glanced at the desk, then decided to look elsewhere first.

            She headed back down the corridor. The light bulb still glowed in the darkness, but her attention was caught by the window. The fire couldn't be much more than a block away.

            Looking around frantically, she saw a tall cabinet that was half split open. Picking her way over to it, she opened the doors.

            It was storage for items confiscated from prisoners that had never been claimed. Rose pawed through the items, amazed. There were three guns, a dozen knives, two cans of pepper spray—and an ax. She picked it up, wondering who had been carrying it.

            Hurrying back down the corridor, she showed the ax to Jack. "Will this work?"

            "We'll find out."

            Rose climbed up on a piece of debris. Balancing precariously, she swung the ax at the lower section of the ceiling, then ducked as bricks and plaster clattered down around her.

            "Careful, Rose," Jack told her, his hands gripping the bars. The building had begun to fill with smoke.

            Rose hit the ceiling again, then jumped down from her perch as the obstruction fell away. Jack pushed the door open—just as the remaining ceiling gave way.

            "Look out!" he shouted as he pulled Rose out of the way. The ceiling collapsed where Rose had been standing, forcing the door shut again. Now they were both locked inside the jail cell.

            The smoke was billowing in, choking them. Feeling around on the floor outside the bars, Jack found the ax where Rose had dropped it. Pulling it through, he told Rose to stand back.

            Coughing, he attacked the crack in the wall with the ax. It widened, bricks falling away. Another blow from the ax, and part of the earthquake-damaged wall collapsed, leaving a space wide enough for them to climb through.

            The fire was across the street from them, devouring everything in its path. Jack took Rose's hand and pulled her along, away from the flames, back toward the other side of town.


	25. I Always Win, One Way Or Another

Chapter Twenty-Five

            They hurried back the way Rose had come. There was a wide swath of nearly open space between the fire and the rest of the town, space that was occupied by sports fields. Rose hoped that, between the open fields and the flooded streets where the water mains had broken in town, the fire would be stopped.

            When they reached the fields, they stopped for a moment, out of breath. The fire was advancing more slowly now, having reached a neighborhood full of well-watered yards.

            "Are you okay?" Jack asked her, his voice hoarse from the smoke.

            "Yeah. Just give me a minute." Her voice was equally hoarse. She held her injured side, which ached from the exertion.

            They rested for a moment longer, then started walking again. The fire retreated in the distance as they reached the crumbled buildings of the newer section of the city.

            Few people were around now; most had fled from the advancing flames and the destruction. The few who were still in the area were heading toward the other side of town, away from the worst of the damage.

            As they passed the remains of the shopping center where they had eaten dinner, Rose was surprised to see someone walking slowly in their direction. Most of the lights had gone out, so it took Rose a moment to recognize Cal.

            She froze as he approached her.

            "Rose, your mother and I were looking for you—" Cal stopped as he saw Jack standing beside Rose. "I see you let him out."

            Rose opened her mouth to speak, then thought better of it. They tried to walk around Cal, but he stopped them.

            "I still intend to press charges for the theft of that ring," he told them, stepping in front of them.

            "Cal, just...stop it, would you?" Rose told him, glaring at him. "You framed him, and we all know it."

            "I did no such thing. But I do have to wonder how he escaped from that solid building. Maybe you helped him?"

            "Cal, leave her alone," Jack told him, moving in front of Rose protectively.

            "It's a crime to aid a criminal in escape," he told them, ignoring Jack. "If I wanted, I could also have you arrested, Rose."

            Jack started to speak, but Rose beat him to it. "Try it, Cal. Just try it. I can guarantee that if you do, the courts will also have a lot of information about you—information I'm sure you would rather they didn't have."

            "Such as?"

            "I read the contents of several documents you told me to shred when I was working for you. I've no doubt you have more incriminating papers in your possession. Like I said earlier, I am a whistle blower."

            "Those documents no longer exist, or did you forget what a shredder does?"

            "Even if you are never indicted, the publicity could ruin your career," she replied. "Furthermore, I have a few other stories about your...behavior...that I think the courts—and the press—might find interesting."

            "None of your accusations will stand up in court."

            "Don't be so sure, Cal. I've learned a few things about manipulativeness from watching you."

            "You'll never win, Rose."

            "It doesn't matter if I do or not, just so long as you don't."

            "And when it's done, when you've smeared your credibility and your reputation, I'll still come out on top. I always win, Rose, one way or another."

            Jack interrupted the argument. "It isn't going to come to that. Rose didn't help me escape."

            Both Cal and Rose turned to stare at him.

            "What do you mean, she didn't help you escape?"

            "The earthquake knocked down part of the wall of my jail cell. I got out that way. If you try to accuse her of helping me, I will testify that I escaped on my own, and that she believed that the police had freed me."

            Rose had been staring at him, mouth agape. Now she spoke up. "I will testify that I saw you slip the ring into his pocket, but that I was too shocked to speak up at first." Suddenly disgusted with the whole thing, she tugged on Jack's hand. "Come on. Let's go."

            He looked warningly at Cal, whose face was dark with rage, before following Rose.

            They had only gone about twenty feet when some instinct caused Jack to look back—just as Cal pulled a gun from his pocket.

            "Rose! Get out of the way! He's got a gun!" Jack shouted, pushing Rose ahead of him, as Cal fired.

            The bullet ricocheted off a light pole, narrowly missing Rose. She screamed, grabbing Jack's hand, as they darted out of the way.

            Cal fired again, shattering a car's windshield. Rose and Jack kept running, headed for the shelter provided by the two buildings leaning against each other. A third shot echoed through the streets.

            Rose didn't have time to wonder where the shot had gone, because Jack stumbled on the broken pavement and fell forward, nearly pulling her with him. He was on his feet again in an instant, pulling her toward the shelter of the two buildings.

            Several more gunshots echoed behind them as they reached the shadows. Rose heard Cal shout after them.

            "I hope you enjoy your time together!"

            They ducked into the shadows, leaning against the wall, waiting. One streetlight still burned in the space, but it was the best shelter they could find.

            After about a minute, Jack whispered to Rose, "Is he still out there?"

            Rose crept over to the sidewalk, looking out cautiously. There was no sign of Cal.

            "I think he left."

            "Good." His voice was barely audible.

            Rose turned to look at him. He was leaning heavily against the wall, one hand pressed to his back.

            "Jack, are you all right?"

            In answer, he pulled his hand away from his back. Even in the dim light, Rose could see the bloodstain spreading over his shirt.

            Gasping in horror, she came closer. She could see the hole in the back of his shirt, where the bullet had hit him.

            "Jack! My God. You've been shot..."

            "I know," he whispered, trying to straighten up. The walls groaned ominously, threatening to come crashing down. He stepped away from the wall, trying to walk, but his legs buckled under him.

            Rose caught him before he could fall. She held him up for a minute before carefully lowering him to the ground.

            The wound was bleeding badly. Rose took a handful of her skirt and pressed it against the hole in his back, trying to stanch the flow of blood.

            "Rose...you've got to get out of here. Those walls could collapse any second."

            "Can you walk?"

            He shook his head doubtfully. "Don't worry about me. Get out of here."

            "I'm not leaving you, Jack. Not now."

            "You have to."

            "No!" She half-lifted him. "Lean on me, Jack. Once we're out of here, I'll go for help."

            Leaning heavily on her, Jack managed to stumble a few steps, Rose half-dragging him.

            An ominous rumble sounded from the earth, as another aftershock shook the town. Rose tried to walk faster, as the walls above them creaked, the beams splitting under the strain.

            They were nearly to the sidewalk when the walls collapsed.


	26. The Promise

Chapter Twenty-Six

            Rose screamed as the walls crumbled around them. The light pole fell, pinning them under it—but also saving their lives. The heavy beams and chunks of plaster and concrete fell against the fallen pole, missing them.

            When the dust cleared, Rose found herself lying on her back on the pavement. Her right foot was trapped beneath the pole, but her face was exposed to the air. She could the sky overhead, where several fallen beams formed a frame of sorts.

            "Jack!" Rose could feel him lying beside her, but she didn't know if he was conscious, or even if he had survived the collapse.

            "I'm right here, Rose." Jack reached for her hand. He was lying on his stomach on the pavement, his legs pinned under the fallen pole. He suspected that one of his legs was broken, but that wasn't important right now. "Can you move?"

            Rose tried to move her trapped foot. There was a small crack in the pavement beside it, and she could almost pull her foot out, but her attempt to move made the pile of debris shift, threatening to come crashing down on them. After a second attempt, she gave up.

            "It'll be morning soon," Jack told her. "They'll have rescue crews out then, when there's enough light to see by. Just hold on a little longer."

            Rose listened to him, worried. His voice was weak; she wasn't sure that they could wait until morning to be rescued. But there was nothing else she could do but wait.

            She settled back against the pavement. Occasionally, she could still hear the sound of footsteps running by. She tried calling out, but no one heard her. Occasionally, the rubble shifted, threatening to collapse in on them, and Rose began to suspect that they wouldn't make it until morning.

            Jack was still holding her hand. "Just a little longer, Rose. It must be almost three in the morning by now. It'll be getting light soon."

            Rose listened to him, not really believing him. He sensed this and tried for levity.

            "I guess this means I don't have to go to work tomorrow." He tried to laugh, but it sounded more like a gasp of fear. He clenched his teeth, trying to keep the fear out of his voice. The wound in his back was still bleeding; he could feel the blood trickling down his back and pooling under him. A strange coldness was beginning to creep over him.

            "I love you, Jack."

            Her words caught him by surprise. His heart leapt at them, until he realized what she was doing.

            "No. Don't you do that. Don't you say your good-byes."

            "We're buried alive..."

            "You're going to get out of here. You're going to go on, and you're going to make lots of babies, and watch them grow. You're going to die an old, old lady, warm in your bed. Not here. Not this night. Do you understand me?"

            Rose was listening now, trying to believe him. He pressed on.

            "Rose, listen to me. Listen. Visiting Elias University that night was the best thing I ever did. It brought me to you. And I'm thankful, Rose, I'm thankful." He was exhausted; the effort of speaking was almost more than he had the strength for. But he couldn't let Rose give up. "You must do me this honor. You must promise me that you'll survive, that you won't give up...no matter what happens...no matter how hopeless it seems. Promise me now, Rose, and never let go of that promise."

            Rose's face was turned toward him, trying to see him in the darkness. "I promise."

            "And never let go of that promise."

            "I will never let go, Jack. I'll never let go."

            He smiled, putting his head down on the hard pavement. She would survive, he knew. He could rest now. But there was one more thing he wanted to say to her.

            "Rose...I love you, too."

            She squeezed his hand, and he knew that she understood. His hand clutched hers convulsively, as if in doing so he could ward off the pain, and the darkness; as if by doing so, he could keep back death itself.


	27. I Will Never Let Go

Chapter Twenty-Seven

            Rose gazed up at the sky, her mind drifting slowly from one thought to another. Had she slept? She wasn't sure. Images ran through her mind like photographs, stopping at important scenes. She remembered standing on the rock, the wind in her hair and Jack's arms around her.

            "Come Josephine in my flying machine..." She sang softly, remembering that moment. "And it's up she goes...up she goes..."

            She trailed off as she heard the sound of voices from outside the rubble. Listening carefully, she heard several people speaking and a dog barking. Rescue workers.

            With a start, she realized that the sky was lightening over her, the first rays of sunlight penetrating the tiny space.

            "Jack," she whispered. "Jack, it's morning."

            He didn't respond. His eyes were closed, his hand still holding hers.

            "Jack, wake up." She shook his hand. "Wake up, Jack!"

            He still didn't respond. Rose shook his hand, her voice becoming high-pitched with panic.

            "Jack, wake up. Jack! It's morning, Jack!"

            And then, as the rays of sunlight touched the ground of their small space, she saw the blood that had soaked his clothes and pooled around him. She looked at him. His face was pale in the morning light, his hand cold and stiff in hers. She stared at him, realizing.

            "Oh, Jack." She put her head down, sobbing, wanting to give up. But she couldn't. She had made a promise, and she would keep it.

            The voices were farther away now, searching across the street for survivors.

            "Come back!" she choked out, her voice too faint to be heard. "Come back! Come back!"

            It was no use. She would have to dig herself out.

            Rose looked at Jack one last time, memorizing his features. She kissed him, then pried her hand free of his. "I will never let go. I promise," she whispered.

            She tugged at her foot, pushing it into the small crack in the pavement. Pain shot through her ankle, but she pulled it free. Sitting up, she pushed herself into the space that was open to the air.

            Balancing precariously on her injured foot, she stood, her head barely above the debris. Gripping a beam, she pulled herself up on top of the pile of rubble. There was a cracking sound, and the pile collapsed, burying Jack under it. Rose kicked her feet free, sliding down to the broken sidewalk.

            No one had noticed her yet; the rescue workers were searching through the remains of the restaurant. Rose stumbled, trying to cross the street, then realized that she could never walk that far on her injured ankle. Spying the dog sniffing at a corner of the building, she whistled to it. The dog ran toward her, yelping, attracting the attention of the rescue workers. They looked up to see Rose staggering toward them, her face covered with dirt and soot, her torn dress stained with blood. One of them rushed over, catching her as she collapsed, carrying her to a large four wheel drive vehicle equipped with emergency medical supplies.

            Rose tried to speak, but didn't have the energy. The last thing she remembered was the paramedic checking her vital signs before she fainted.


	28. Love and Respect and Loyalty and Trust

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Wednesday, May 7, 2003

            Rose sat on the edge of her cot in the earthquake shelter, her sprained ankle propped up on a box. She balanced a cooling cup of coffee in one hand, a newspaper in the other.

            It had been three days since the earthquake, three days since Jack's death. Rose stared at the newspaper, only half-reading it. Three days had passed, and she didn't feel anything.

            She shifted her injured foot, moving it to a more comfortable position. The slight, constant ache in her ankle was the only thing that reminded her that she could still feel.

            She hadn't cried since the moment that she had realized that Jack was gone, but she also hadn't smiled, or laughed, or felt anything at all except the slight physical pain of her injured ankle. It was as though a wet blanket had been thrown over her emotions, smothering them.

            It was probably normal, she realized. She had been through so much emotional turmoil in the past two and a half weeks that her mind needed to take a break, in order to preserve her sanity. She was almost grateful for the emotional numbness that prevented her from feeling any grief or sorrow.

            It wouldn't last. Eventually, she would have to face what had happened. But for now, she was content to not feel anything at all.

            Others felt the impact of the earthquake. Rose had watched, feeling strangely detached, as other people mourned the loss of loved ones, or rejoiced in the news that a family member had survived.

            Nearly everyone had lost someone. The death toll in Masline was high; out of a population of forty thousand, nearly two thousand people had died. More bodies were being found every day, and some people who had survived the initial crisis were dying from their injuries. Others would never be found.

            Every day, survivors visited the various shelters scattered throughout Masline and neighboring cities, searching for missing relatives and friends. The rescue workers had finally composed a list of those who were known to have died, allowing their searching relatives to know right away whether there was any use in further looking.

            Rose had looked at the list, which was posted near the front of the tent that served as a shelter. She, like so many others, hoped that they wouldn't find anyone they knew on the list.

            Rose had found the names of two friends on the list the day before—Fabrizio and Trudy. Her heart had caught in her throat, almost breaking through the layers of numbness. Trudy had been her best friend since fourth grade, and Fabrizio, while she had not known him nearly so well, had also been a friend. She wondered how Helga was doing. She had survived, Rose knew, because she had seen her at the makeshift hospital Rose had been taken to after she was rescued. Helga had been lying on a cot, a bandage wrapped around her head. She had been sleeping, so Rose hadn't disturbed her.

            This morning, when a revised copy of the list had been posted, Rose had found Jack's name on it. They had finally found his body. Rose had inquired discreetly about him, and had learned that there was some question as to the cause of death—he didn't appear to be an earthquake victim.

            Rose settled back against her pillow, trying to concentrate upon the newspaper she had borrowed. She didn't want to think about Jack—not yet. Flipping idly through the newspaper, she looked at the articles on the earthquake.

            It was one of the biggest earthquakes in recorded history, finally being measured at 9.18. Some people referred to it as 'The Big One' that Southern California had been anticipating for so long. Others argued over this term, since the much-anticipated 'Big One' had been expected to hit along the San Andreas fault line—not a previously unknown earthquake fault intersecting the San Andreas and disappearing into the desert to the east.

            The earthquake had caused massive damage. Buildings had been flattened in a fifty-mile radius of the epicenter. Most of Masline had been destroyed, as well as a large part of Southland. Enormous destruction and loss of life had been reported from cities in the surrounding area as well. Dams had crumbled, including one of the state's newest, and largest, reservoirs—Diamond Valley Lake, about fifty miles north of Masline, inundating parts of two towns. A dam in Mari's hometown of Perris had also broken, covering the northernmost part of the town in water. A tidal wave had wiped out parts of several coastal towns. Worse yet, a nuclear power plant near the coast had been destroyed, triggering an explosion that had killed hundreds of people and sent radiation over much of California, Mexico, and the Pacific Ocean. Only the mountains to the east had prevented the radiation from spreading farther.

            Damage had been reported from areas far away from the epicenter. Reports of destruction had come from as far away as Seattle, Houston, Mexico City, and Honolulu. The earthquake had been felt as far away as Florida, Chile, the Philippines, and Alaska.

            Rose sat up, putting the newspaper down on the ground beside her. The shelter that she was in was located on the grounds of what had once been the Sunpeak building. The open fields beside the building had provided a place to set up a shelter, while the Sunpeak building itself—with its substandard construction and lack of adequate maintenance—had collapsed, burying three hundred night shift workers. Titan Construction had been responsible for that building, too.

            Rose sipped at the now cold coffee, then set it aside in disgust. Fabrizio had been one of those working that night. Only six people had been found alive in the debris, and after three days it was doubtful that they would find any more. Rescue efforts had not even begun until well into the following day, as Sunpeak's managers had claimed that there had been few, if any, people working there at 11:00 that night. Only the reports of part-time workers who had left minutes earlier had convinced the authorities otherwise.

            Looking toward the front of the tent, she saw several people looking at the list of the dead. Some were crying; others looked relieved at not finding someone. One of them stepped away from the crowd and began walking amongst the people in the shelter, looking for someone.

            In the fading light of late afternoon, it took Rose a moment to recognize Cal. He walked between the rows of cots, looking at each face.

            Rose felt a stab of alarm. Even after everything that had happened, he still sought her out. She considered leaving while he was occupied, but knew that he would find her eventually. It was better to confront him now.

            Cal was walking down the second row of cots when he caught a glimpse of red hair from the fourth row. Hurrying over, he found Rose sitting on a cot, waiting for him.

            "Rose!" he exclaimed. "You survived."

            "Yes, I lived. How awkward for you."

            "Rose...your mother and I have been looking for you..." He looked around, wondering if Jack was with her.

            Rose answered his unspoken question. "He's dead."

            Cal looked startled. "Rose...I'm sorry..."

            "You should have thought of that before you shot him in the back."

            He just looked at her, stunned.

            "I guess you thought you missed. You didn't. You're a murderer, Cal."

            "I never meant—"

            "No. You never mean to do anything. But you still do it."

            "Rose—"

            She didn't listen. "There's going to be an autopsy—they know he didn't die from earthquake injuries. They'll be able to trace the bullet back to the gun, and back to you."

            "I doubt that."

            Rose looked at him and shook her head. He never changed. "What did you do, Cal? Buy that gun on the black market?"

            He started to speak again, but Rose put her hand up, stopping him.

            "Please don't. Don't talk. Just listen. We will make a deal, since that is something you understand. From this moment you do not exist for me, nor I for you. You shall not see me again. And you will not attempt to find me. In return I will keep my silence. Your actions that night—or any other time—need never come to light, and you will get to keep the honor you have so carefully purchased." She glared at him, wishing that she could turn him in, wishing that she could see justice done, but knowing that this was the only way she could ever really be free of him. "Is this in any way unclear?"

            Cal stood for several minutes, considering. Finally he nodded, understanding. "Rose, what do I tell your mother?"

            Rose hesitated. She didn't want to see her mother now, but she might wish to see her again in the future. "Tell her you never found me."

            "All right, Rose." He started to turn away, then looked back at her once more. She was looking down, her hands clenched around the blanket on her cot. He spoke to her, knowing even as he did that it was pointless.

            "I do love you, Rose." She barely looked at him. "Rose, please. I want to make amends. I will do whatever it takes—even turn myself in."

            Rose shook her head. "No, Cal. It's too late for that—much too late."

            He started to walk away once more, then stopped. He had to know. "Rose, did you ever, in all the time we were together, feel anything for me?"

            She hesitated, remembering. "I liked you once. When we were first engaged, I thought that perhaps I might learn to love you. But you never gave me a chance. You were convinced that if you bought me the right things, if you controlled me enough, I would learn to love and respect you. But those aren't things that you can buy, that you can force a person to feel. Those things have to be earned. From the moment you first slapped me, I knew that I would never feel those things for you, but I stayed because I felt I had no choice. Then I met Jack, and I learned what love and respect—and loyalty and trust—really meant. Had you given me those things, instead of trying to buy them or beat them into me, I might have eventually learned to love you. But you never understood, or even tried to understand." She slumped, suddenly very tired. "Please leave, Cal."

            He looked at her, stricken with emotion. "Rose, you are very precious to me."

            She looked at him, and realized that he did care for her, in his own way. But it wasn't enough. It never would be. "Jewels are precious. Good-bye, Mr. Hockley." She turned away. When she looked back, he was walking away.

            It was the last time she ever saw him.

            Rose sat quietly for a long time, thinking. Could she exchange one life for another? As a caterpillar turned into a butterfly, could she become someone new? Was it any more unimaginable than the destruction wrought by the earthquake?


	29. Walking Away

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Sunday, May 11, 2003

            Rose stood at the back of the crowd of mourners attending a memorial service for the victims of the earthquake. She was quiet, her head bowed, trying not to attract attention.

            She had seen Tommy, Helga, and Sophie in the crowd, but had not approached them. Part of her wanted to go to them, to mourn the loss of friends and loved ones with them, but another part of her had held back. Much as she would have liked to join them, she knew that it would be too painful. The numbness that had smothered her emotions for the past week was fading, but Rose wasn't ready to give in to her grief yet.

            She knew, as well, that if she went to them, she would wind up telling them how Jack had died. She had promised Cal that she would keep her silence in return for his leaving her alone, and she intended to keep that promise. He would leave her alone now, and she would have her freedom. Someday, she thought, she might let her friends know that she was alive, but not now.

            The minister's voice droned on, and Rose found her mind wandering. She knew that this memorial service was a comfort to many who had lost their friends and relatives, but it didn't comfort her. The words of the minister spoke for all of those who had been lost, and those who would go on without them, but for now she wanted to be alone, to grieve for those individuals that she personally had known.

            Quietly, Rose slipped from the crowd and walked away. Her ankle was still weak, but she could walk on it now. Not really paying attention to where she was going, she headed out along the broken streets.

            Some of the streets and buildings were already being torn down or repaired. The earthquake had destroyed the city, but the people were already starting over, rebuilding it. She saw a vehicle with Titan Construction printed on it. Masline's biggest company was already working again.

            She walked on, heading toward the center of town. Not so much work had been done there yet; the people were poorer and couldn't afford to rebuild right away. She moved around piles of concrete and metal, seeing, for the first time, the damage that had occurred. When she had come through the area before, after being rescued, she hadn't noticed much of anything. Yet, even here, life was going on, and people were starting over. She would do the same.

            Looking around, Rose realized that she had reached the area where she had been when the earthquake had hit. She saw the remains of the buildings that had collapsed upon Jack and herself, and veered away, not wanting to see the place where Jack had died. She made her way across the broken street to the remains of the parking lot where she had left her vehicle, crushed in the crevice.

            Sitting down on the edge of the curb, Rose wondered what she would do. She had nothing but the clothes on her back; everything else had been lost. She had managed to obtain another pair of shoes from charity, and had cleaned and mended her dress, but she had nothing else. Still, she wouldn't return to her mother's house, even to get those things that belonged to her. She couldn't yet face her mother.

            Standing, Rose made her way over to the crevice that had swallowed the SUV, wondering if it was still there. Broken glass and pavement crunched under her feet as she walked.

            Inside the still-open crevice, the bright red SUV gleamed dully in the morning sunlight. It was half-crushed, with broken glass lying everywhere, but it was still there. Looking down, Rose saw her purse still lying inside, the shoulder strap hooked over the parking brake. Leaning over carefully, she retrieved it, shaking the dirt and broken glass away.

            She looked inside. The contents were still there, just as she had left them—twenty-one dollars and fifty-three cents in cash, her checkbook, her ATM card, her driver's license, her keys, a pen, and a compact. Looters had avoided the crevice, so her belongings were intact.

            As she stood, she noticed a piece of paper lying in the back seat. Curious, she reached for it, pulling out the drawing that Jack had made of her.

            It was slightly crumpled and dirty, and one edge was torn, but it was still there. She gazed at it, remembering that afternoon. Was it only a week ago? It seemed much longer.

            Folding the drawing carefully, she tucked it into her bag, and slung the purse over her shoulder. As she stepped back, her foot brushed against something. It sparkled in the sunlight.

            Picking it up, Rose recognized her engagement ring. Cal had dropped it when the earthquake struck. She held it, wonderingly. She could sell it—the money from it would go a long way—but she wouldn't. She would keep it, as a lesson—and as a reminder.

            A reminder. Rose stared at the ring, remembering the day that Cal had given it to her. She would never be so innocent again—or so naive. If she ever again became engaged, it would be because of love, not for security, or because she felt she had to. She had learned what love meant, and she would never forget.

            Rose clenched her fist around the ring. The last of the numbness had vanished, leaving the raw grief and anguish in its wake. Stumbling over to the curb, she sat down, tears streaming down her face.

            Jack was dead. Trudy was dead, and so was Fabrizio. Masline, the city that she had grown up in, was in ruins. She had nowhere to go.

            Rose put her head down on her knees and wept in anguish. No one was around to hear her; this part of town was still mostly abandoned.

            She didn't know what to do, or what to think. She was alone now. She couldn't go back to her family or her friends, and Jack wasn't there to help her.

            She looked at the ring, remembering how Cal had framed Jack. She had told Jack that she trusted him, but she hadn't—not enough. If she had, she would have defended him when the ring had been found. If she had spoken out, he might not have been taken away, and he might still be alive.

            Rose shook her head. It didn't help to think of what might have been, what had happened had happened, and couldn't be changed. He might have been arrested anyway, she thought. Or, if he hadn't, something else might have happened. She thought about everything that had occurred that day, and realized that many things, if done differently, might have changed what had happened. If she hadn't gone to visit him that afternoon, if she hadn't confronted Cal, if they had taken a different route back through town, if she had moved a little faster before the walls collapsed, things might have turned out differently. Or perhaps not.

            Regretting the past didn't help. It couldn't be changed, and dwelling upon it would only cause more misery. She could only remember what had happened, and learn from it.

            Rose thought about something that Jack had told her once, about making each day count. He had believed that life was a gift, not to be wasted. He had understood that life was precarious, that anything could happen. She hadn't understood then. Not until the earthquake had struck, and her world had shattered along with the city, had she understood.

            Jack had been right, Rose realized. Life was short, and unpredictable. A person could plan out their life in every detail, but unexpected things would still happen. She had never expected to meet someone like Jack, or to know such joy in the short time they had together.

            She had promised him that she would go on, and she would. He had helped her to survive, to escape from a life that would have destroyed her. She would not let that gift go to waste. She would live—not just survive, but really live. However long she lived, she wouldn't waste her life on things that she hated, or on people who would tear her down.

            Rose sat up, wiping at her eyes. She knew now what she was going to do.

*****

            Rose left Masline early that afternoon. She had decided that she would not return to the university, or to her mother, or to the house that Jack had lived in, though she knew that Tommy would have let her.

            She walked east, up through the foothills, toward the mountains and the desert beyond. She would travel wherever life took her, however long it took. She would see the world, do the things that she had never before dared to imagine. She had no place to be, so she would simply go wherever she felt like going.

            As she reached the top of the hill, she looked back one more time. The valley lay before her, the golden grass waving in the breeze as it had before. From this distance, the damage caused by the cataclysm was hardly noticeable. It was almost as if it had never happened.

            Rose stood quietly for a few minutes, remembering. Then, she turned and walked away, heading east, into a new life.

            She never looked back.


	30. EpilogueA Promise Kept

Epilogue

            Rose never returned to Masline. She left California that summer and spent the next year and half wandering throughout the United States, and into Canada and Mexico. She discovered that she had a talent for singing, and often used this ability to provide herself with food and shelter. There were times when she was cold, or hungry, or afraid, but she never gave up.

            Eventually, she settled down in a small town in New Mexico, took a job as a waitress, and went to college, this time studying what she wanted. She had a strong interest in politics and music, and graduated with a degree in Political Science. Her interest in reform, and in music, led her to become a protest singer. Wherever there was turmoil, Rose could be counted upon to be present, adding her voice to the struggle.

            In 2008, when she was twenty-four, Rose met and married Miguel Calvert, a union organizer, in Los Angeles. They had two daughters: Lizzy, born in 2009, and Cora, born in 2012.

            Ruth was reunited with Rose in 2008, after seeing her daughter on the evening news. Their relationship was always strained, although they put up with each other so that Rose's daughters would know their grandmother.

            Cal married in 2006. True to form, he didn't treat his wife any better than he had treated Rose. He and his wife had one child, a son. In 2019, Cal was indicted in a pyramid scheme that had cost hundreds of elderly people their life savings. He was never brought to trial, however. When the police came to arrest him, they found him lying dead in his study, a bullet through his head and the gun beside him. His death was ruled a suicide, although his wife's fingerprints were found on the gun.

            Jack's death was ruled a homicide. The autopsy showed that he had died from massive blood loss. Ownership of the gun was traced to an elderly woman in Southland, who told police that her thirteen-year-old grandson had stolen it. The grandson was unavailable for questioning, having died in the earthquake. The killer was never found.

            Helga moved back in with Tommy. Despite the earthquake, the house had remained mostly intact, and was still livable. On January 19, 2004, nine months to the day she had married Fabrizio, she gave birth to a healthy son, Daniel.

            Tommy remained a bachelor for many years, then surprised everyone by marrying Sophie in 2011. They had three children.

            Rose and her friends were reunited in Los Angeles in 2010, and kept in touch throughout the years that followed. Rose's daughter Lizzy married Helga's son Daniel in 2029, although Rose wasn't there to see it.

            In 2022, when she was thirty-eight, Rose was diagnosed with cancer, an aftereffect of the radiation she had been exposed to following the earthquake. Despite aggressive treatment, the disease spread, and by her fortieth birthday Rose knew that she didn't have much time left. She wrote her memoirs, finally telling her story, interspersing the paragraphs with pictures collected over a lifetime. There were two pictures in particular that she valued—a photograph of herself, her husband, and her children on Olvera street in Los Angeles, and an ancient, brittle drawing of a young woman standing on the edge of a cliff, the wind in her hair and a smile on her face. On the evening of June 21, 2024, Rose went to sleep and never woke up.

*****

            Rose opened her eyes to see someone standing at the end of a long tunnel of light, waiting for her. Walking down the tunnel, she recognized her father. He was healthy and strong now, with no signs of the disease that had killed him so many years before. He looked just as Rose remembered him from her childhood.

            Looking back, she saw herself lying in her bed, unmoving. A pang of sadness, mingled with joy, shot through her. She had lived out her life as she was meant to, and now she was moving on.

            Looking at her hands, she realized that she had left the miseries of the disease that had killed her behind. She was healthy again, no longer in pain. She had no regrets, except for her loved ones left behind. But it was time. Turning toward her father, she walked into the light.

            They didn't speak as they continued onward. As they left the tunnel, Rose saw others waiting for her—Trudy, Fabrizio, her grandparents. The golden retriever that she had had as a child ran up to her, wagging its tail with joy. Rose was home.

            There was only one person missing. As Rose greeted the people waiting for her, she saw the city of Masline, as bright and strong as it had been before the earthquake. Beyond that lay the hills, covered with green grass and flowers.

            Rose moved toward the hills, her feet barely touching the ground. Looking down, she realized that she was wearing the same dress that she had worn on that day so long ago—but now it was made of white silk, with a long train. Touching her head, she felt the flowers that adorned her hair.

            Almost running now, she crossed a field of grass and flowers, coming to the base of a trail that wound its way up around the hills. She started up it.

            Near the top of the hill, she saw him. Jack turned and held out his hand to her, smiling. Rose came forward and took his hand.

            They embraced, and it was as though they had never been apart. The light grew brighter, and the world faded away, until it was just the two of them, forever this time, surrounded by the light.

The End.


End file.
